It is so typically human of us to get caught up in our day to day routine--to be slammed into a tunnel vision so encompassing that everything else falls by the wayside.
Kids have a way of taking you there and then at the moment you least expect it, snapping you out of it. My favorite, however, is when I have my own Snap Out Of It Moment.
When we got to the park today after our typical run-to-the-park-with-the-stroller, I heard a call that immediately nabbed my attention. High in a cypress tree was an absolutely gorgeous red tail hawk, calling. She launched herself out into the clearing and flew, low enough to see the whiteness of her belly and underwings. She continued to fly and circle the park around the playground--sometimes in wide circles, and other times smaller ones, vocalizing most of the time. It was incredible to watch, made more so by the fact that we live in the city. My son was equally enthralled, for about the proper amount of time expected for a two year old to pay attention to anything.
I continued to search out the hawk the entire time we were at the park. It is easy for me to get lost watching the rhythm of the flight--the patterns, the calls, the beat of the wings. It reminds me of how simple life can be, and how with practice, repetition, and perseverence I can have an impact--just like the ripple in the pond. No matter how small, I count. I want my son to learn this too. And if he learns it from a hawk, so be it.
Painting is Egret In Flight by Catherine Jeltes, 2008, GALLERY ZOO ART.
