Looking Through The Eyes Of A Child

Photo by Sharath Kumar Hari

Remembering The Joy

This morning when I looked out my bedroom window, a male finch bird landed on a branch of a tree nearby; the vibrant red on his chest caught my eye. When I looked above, I saw there was also a female finch on a couple branches above. It still amazes me to see birds in the winter, because as a child I was taught that birds migrate for the winter. I love birds because of their playfulness, and it is very common for me to get a strong message from the other side when I stop to observe and be present in the experience.

One of the greatest blessings I have experienced as a mother, is to often be reminded of the example that children are when they take joy in the wonders of this human experience. I cherish the times when they saw or experienced something for the first time, and how they completely and totally immersed themselves in the joy of what caught their attention.

A memory comes to mind when our oldest child was about a year old. It had rained and there was a big puddle in the parking lot of the apartment complex that we lived in at the time. My late husband, Erik, took our daughter out and taught her how to splash in that puddle. I sat there to take in the moment, and I can still feel the happiness I felt while watching them laugh and splash each other.

Stopping To Smell The Roses

I guess I love birds so much because they catch my attention with their shenanigans, bravery and singing. One day when I was driving, I was feeling very sad and crying, when I looked over to see a powerline filled with many birds. Another came to join them, and that little bird was having trouble with balancing on the line. It got that line moving, but all the other birds stayed there, peaceful and calm, and finally this bird found its balance and joined them. I started laughing and felt like Erik had a hand in that experience. He used to get frustrated with me because I tripped a lot, he would tell me to pay attention to my task at hand and stop getting distracted with my mind.

I have learned to slow down and be more present in each and every moment as I go about my day, and I appreciate the ability I have had to multi-task. This was important for me as a mother with babies and young children—the running of a household. However, I am grateful for this new phase in my life in which I get to enjoy putting my attention and energy into being present in every experience. As I have gotten better at slowing down, I stop to smell flowers and take pictures of the beauty and humor around me. I have had opportunities to sit on a quiet beach and enjoy the gentle breeze I can feel on my skin, while watching and hearing the water and waves. I admired a hawk that flew above where I was walking—hawks always catch my attention. As it was flying by, there was a mockingbird sitting on an overhead line that decided to fly with that hawk and dive-bombed it two or three times until it couldn’t keep up anymore. I was so shocked that the hawk went on its way and let that smaller bird get away with that.

Reveling In Everyday Beauty

Since I have slowed down and decided to use my time and energy to explore and practice the things that bring me joy, I feel like I am being blessed to once again enjoy the beautiful gifts and experiences in this human experience. It feels good not to be drowning in all of the what-ifs, should-haves and could-haves that hijacked my life for so many years.

A Tip That Has Helped Me:

If it feels like something that you would like to do, take time today to slow down; look around and see if you can notice the things that pique your interest and intrigue you. Take note of the details as to what intrigues you and go a little deeper to answer the question as to why it intrigues or impresses you. If you feel so impressed, write them down and at the end of the day, take a few minutes to go over and remember them again to see if it sparks a new idea, or maybe even an answer to something you may have been wondering about.

I hope that you can feel the love and light I am sending to you in this moment.