liberty

Many of my favourite people are under four feet tall. Don't get me wrong, I deeply cherish the relationships I have with adults, but the kids in my life have a particular knack for bringing light and life to my heart. I got to spend significant time today, in four different settings, with eight of my most beloved children. They're all kids I've known from their first breaths, which is something right there. They're so refreshing to be with! Here's a quick list of five things I appreciated in 'my' kids today:

1. What you see is what you get. If they're happy, they smile, if they're sad, they cry. They can move from one state of mind to the other in the blink of an eye, without feeling remotely disconnected.

2. They're curious about their world. They like to poke and prod and test things, as if life is a great big smorgasbord and it's an obligation to at least lick everything the cook prepared.

3. They see no problem with eating strawberries and olives at the same time. Really, why not? Social conventions haven't been etched into their behaviour yet.

4. They certainly glow when they know they've pleased you, but it's not their driving force. Their driving force is, well, whatever strikes them in the moment. They move from the thought "I wonder..." to action, at lightspeed. Over the course of the day, I could have documented a thousand such movements. What else could explain coming across a three and a half year old attempting to brush her teeth with a pink plastic comb?

5. They come up with the most elaborate and most simple ways to entertain themselves. Like this morning. I went to church with the P family, for the second installment in E's dedication service. With all due respect for the service and reverent words spoken, I got the biggest kick out of watching S (2.5yo) repeatedly jump off the front kneeling step, stopping after each leap to see if the quarters in her pockets had also leapt to liberty, and chasing down the quarters if they had. It was a one-person, self-propelled treasure hunt, and every jump was a surprise.

6. Continuing in reference to the sanctuary-kneeler-quarter-bounce-hide-and-seek game, I love that little S was not only completely absorbed in play for ages, she was oblivious to the fact that the entire congregation was watching her. It's not so much that she was "in her own world" -- I think she was well aware of her setting-- but it just didn't matter that others were watching. They could have joined in, or ignored her, anything would have been fine with her.

Thanks, my little friends, for demonstrating a liberty in the world that I can only aspire to!