Through The Eyes Of A Child
In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks. John Muir
For many years, I was an elementary school teacher. One of my greatest joys was the time each week, when we would venture out into the woods surrounding our school. In the beginning, the children would be so excited to be outdoors, that the encouragement to “stop, listen and look” for the “stories unfolding” would be repeated requests. But with time, they learned the art of sitting quietly and the value of looking closely. When asked by a visitor to our school “why the children loved going on our nature walks?”, one of my active, little boys told the man “It’s because the more you look, the more you see……the more you see, the more you want to look.” He went on to tell him how when he first went out, “all he saw was trees, rocks, dirt, but now he saw all kinds of “magical things….like this”. Holding up a crumpled leaf, he pointed out the intricacies of a tiny web hidden in its folds.
The idea to view the world with “the eyes of a child”, reminds me to keep my own eyes open for the beauty and art that surrounds me.<span class=”Apple-converted-space”> We can get so caught up with the busyness of daily responsibilities and tasks, we forget to notice the incredible details and wonder of life that exists all around us.
Spending time with a child outdoors in nature brings that awe and wonder back up into our conscious thought. If you don’t have children to go out with, invite the child within you out for a stroll. Do not hurry, take your time, look, listen and feel the inspirational gift of wonder bloom. On a recent walk with our granddaughter, I marveled again about the artistry to be found in our natural world.
