Reflecting on a recent afternoon spent with my granddaughter, I am reminded that simplicity can be found in a child's discovery. That afternoon Jolee discovered her "shadow". She would move about in an attempt to see if her shadow would move with her. She would point at her shadow and say "ooooo". Then she tried to sit on her shadow, I guess to see if she could hide it. And then right in the middle of this discovery, came a new one. There were people walking their dogs, and there were cats running by. This held a far greater importance than playing with her shadow. Jolee now was on a discovery to find out where the cat ran off to, and where did the people and their dogs go. We would walk up one way and then the other until the cats and dogs were no longer in sight. All the while, Jolee shouting out her exhuberance with "ooooo"s and "aaaahhhh"s. Jolee is fiercely independent and "walking" with Gramma didn't hold a lot of excitement. Running away from Gramma was far more entertaining!
Observing this precious little girl, not yet 17 months old, opened my eyes yet again to all things possible.
- Attitude: You have to have attitude to get you through the frustration of learning new things.
- Independence: You need to try taking the next step without someone holding your hand...just to see if you can.
- Observation: It's important to cultivate "quiet" so you can take in the sights, sounds, and smells that are all around us, most of which go unnoticed.
- Entertainment: Sometimes the simplest forms of entertainment can create the best kind of laughter, at no cost and with no expectation.
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