A few weeks ago I was stacking blocks with Charlie when I had one of those moments. I looked up and out of our window at the snow covered trees and thought, “Jeeze, that’s pretty.”
I’m sure Charlie was looking up at me thinking, “Hey, Mom. What are you looking at? Why is your mouth hanging open like that? I could fit, like, 12 Cheerios in there.”
So I got up to grab my camera, and when I came back, I found myself to be surprised and disappointed. Once I was up and looking from my perspective, I could see the cars spraying each other with gray slush, the electrical box, and the buildings across the street.
This, of course, got me thinking. As I sat back down with my camera and snapped a picture of the view from Charlie’s perspective, I decided that I needed to stack blocks and look up more often. When I was looking up, all I could see was blue sky and clouds, snowy branches, empty branches, and sun. I wasn’t thinking about how crappy the roads must be, or how I couldn’t wait for all of the snow to melt; I was just enjoying the way the world was in that moment.
That’s what Charlie sees all the time. How can I make it so that he keeps that perspective for as long as possible? I don’t mean that I want to shelter him from the real world or anything, but that’s just the point. That pretty picture is part of the ‘real world’; it’s just that some people (including me) tend to only focus on the crappy driving conditions and the fact that they can’t wear their flip-flops. If I can find a way to enjoy, or at the very leastappreciate, the situations I’m in, I will be much more successful in teaching Charlie to do the same. That way, hopefully, he’ll always retain some of that childlike perspective.
I know we’re all sick of Winter. Yup, I said it. Even I am starting to get sick of Winter. I’m going through baby clothes and seeing cute little T-shirts and shorts, and wishing it were warm enough for Charlie to run around in only his (totally cute and money-saving :)) diapers. I, of course, will continue to wear jeans all summer, but that’s neither here nor there.
Well, tough cookies for us, friends. There’s going to be snow on the ground for a few more days at least, and it will still be weeks (preferably months,maybe years, but who am I kidding?) before the college Freshman girls get out their butt shorts.
So, starting right now, let’s all pick out something about Winter that is still to our advantage. For me, it means a few more weeks of wearing my favorite cardigans. I know there are others out there who are with me on that one. With Spring getting close, I know that this practice might seem stupid and pointless, but I think everyone would be surprised if they did this just once a day. If you need help with inspiration, you are more than welcome to come over and stack blocks with Charlie while I take a nap.