Delight
Delight is something I pay attention to. It's what I find when I speak to my grandchildren or I hear stories from their mom's about their latest escapades. These are what inspire me, make me laugh and wake me up to the wonder and beauty of life.
On a recent visit with Victoria, who is 2 1/2, I was surprised and delighted to witness her spend an unexpectedly large amount of time looking through my Park Seed catalog! She went through page after page exclaiming on the pretty flowers, pointing out her favorite on each. When we got to the herb page she calmly noted without hesitation that the cilantro was a weed.
When I told Laney, who is 8 about hearing a strange sound when we were hiking in the woods recently, she exclaimed, "Oh Grandma, think about what a great story that would make about some odd creature making weird noises in the woods!"
And then there's the time I was having a "vibrant" discussion about something upsetting with my daughter as we were driving along the highway. Lola, who is almost four was listening from the backseat when she reminded me to --"Calm down, grandma. Everybody's friends."
Oh to be able to retain the freshness of a child's perspective! To access the innocence and clarity of wonder before it is blunted and burdened by the weight of time and the expectations of others.
