Through the eyes of a child.....

The world must seem so much different than it does to us old folks. Sometime ago my two boys and I were driving to Monteagle (between Chattanooga and Nashville) and you could see the grey clouds of snow dropping on the mountain has we started our winding climb upwards. My first thought was if this was going to make the roads slick. Then I wondered when I checked the antifreeze and if my tires had enough tread. I didn't see a forecast that said this was coming so we didn't have winter gear. If the car does breakdown we are going to be freezing. I hope I get a signal here on the side of the mountain and on and on. About the time I had run through all the possibilities of horrible death my eleven year old son said from the backseat, "Cool".

Fast forward to this week. I am taking a winter vacation with my wife and the four kids back in the town I got old older in. (I would never profess to growing up anywhere because I haven't) The excitement the kids show for piles of snow and cold weather just amazes me. Matthew, my stepson, is so wired he can't sit still. The rest of the kids aren't far behind. They will stay out for hours on end. Doing nothing more than being out in the cold. Now granted you don't see the volume of snow in Atlanta or Memphis that is on the ground here but it hasn't been thrilling enough to get the adults to stand in it. At least not more than is required by the kids.

So it got me to thinking, "What if we saw the world through the eyes of a child?" Not the holding our breath till we get another cookie type. The type of wonderment with anything new or different. The type of vision that allowed you to laugh when something was funny without thinking who you might offend first. The type of vision that allowed you to try to dance because it looked fun or slide down a hill on a sheet of plastic because it looked fun. The type of vision that allowed you to meet people who looked different and talked different than you and not be afraid of them. Or wonder what they wanted from you. The type of vision that allowed you to love people because you can. Not find a reason why you shouldn't.

The innocence of a child is a beautiful thing. Watching them build a snow fort and slide down hills is a great example for us adults. Fun and enjoyment are what we decide they are. If we let the world beat the child out of us, who will pass it along? Who will show the next generation what it is like to be a kid? Yep, I think it is up to us to keep on being a kid as long as we can. Maybe for a couple hours on the weekend. Or for the first hour after work do something you used to do when you were a kid. Stay a kid at heart. The next time someone asks you where you grew up you can tell them where you got older, you never grew up.

Till next..........