Through Their Eyes

Not long ago, on the way to the airport, I found myself watching in wonderment as a jumbo jet swooped in for a landing right over the top of my taxi.

"A plane! Look at the huge plane!" I nearly shouted.

Then I realized, except for the grumpy driver, it was just me who gave a care. I was taking in the scene by myself and I had to laugh. If my kids had been with me, it would have been a moment to celebrate. But, my two-year-old twins were back home none the wiser of the cool sight I had just taken in.

I guess it's no biggie when a Mom yells out, "Wow! Look at that! Did you see that?" as she narrates the action on the street for her young children during the course of the day. But you start to feel a little sheepish when you catch yourself blurting, "Awesome!" to no one in particular when a noisy garbage truck crosses your way. Fire trucks, bulldozers, Kung Fu Panda billboards, pumpkins and fountains set off similarly effusive reactions in me. I'm noticing stuff I haven't really noticed in years. I'm feeding off my twin toddlers' enthusiasm. It's infectious and it makes me wonder about what else I've been "missing" since I hit adulthood? What else haven't I really "seen" in a long time? Which aspects of living that I typically consider mundane or just take for granted are actually pretty darn cool?

So, I started to make a list: ice cream cones...blowing bubbles...warm baths...soft blankets...wind...swimming...new underpants...hugs...Band-aids...classical music...the sun roof...skipping and hopping...You get the idea.

Sounds a little Julie Andrews, I know, but I've really started appreciating all of these things so much more as my children reintroduce me to the simple joys in life. I did not know how much their viewpoints would alter my outlook. When I see things through their eyes, I worry less and I laugh more. I savor the moment.

I've been reading about the happiness movement and I think the key or at least one of the essential principles of living a joyful life is looking at the world as if we are discovering it for the first time. When we are racing to get from one activity to the next, it is easy to take the world around us for granted. And now that there are so many people hurting in these uncertain economic times, perhaps it's useful to step back and appreciate the little things - the parts of our world that simply exist whether we pay attention or not.

Here are some more things to consider taking a second look at with a child's eye:

- Snow
- Traffic lights
- Clouds
- Tractors
- The Moon
- Mail
- Fortune cookies

Do you remember the first time you discovered M&M's or some sweet you had never tasted before? Watching my kids on Halloween a couple of weeks ago -- the first Halloween they learned the meaning of "trick or treat" was so wonderful. I can only describe it as pure Willy Wonka - Every treat they tried was brand new and they were so curious and of course, excited about each new taste and sensation. I've written about enjoying music with my kids, voting with them, cooking, dancing and running after them. I honestly did not comprehend until recently how much motherhood would afford me the opportunity to see the world through fresh eyes. It's a gift that I'm trying to remind myself to enjoy every day.

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Comments

[WeAreTheBorg]

I spent many years in the airline industry, walking around and under jumbo jets. I have never lost that child-like sense of wonder that something that big actually flies. Everyone should have something (non-religious) in their lives that gives them that sense of awe, whether it is looking at deep space through a telescope, watching jumbo jets take off and land, or whatever. It's one of the things that makes life worth it all.