Yesterday my three-year-old son and I went to the park. Yes, it's nearly the end of November and we went to the park. It was 70 degrees outside! How could we pass up that opportunity? I'm often struck by the sweet innocence of his curiosity and interactions with the world around him. Though the adult mind is leagues above that of a toddler, children are a reflection of who we are, who we will always be.
My son is curious about the world around him, and he doesn't abide by a schedule or timeblock to explore that world. He lives in the moment. We should all be so wise. The time he takes to inspect his shirt, play with a stick, or look for just the right rock to take home is done with unapologetic and undivided attention. Sometimes I call him molasses because he moves about that quickly at times. Yet I can't help but adore and even envy that kind of disregard for Father Time. He will not be rushed. Whether he is taking his time to climb into his car seat or he's too busy playing to be disturbed by my requests or even to go to the bathroom, my son relishes each moment. He doesn't even have to be particularly engaged or busy. His imagination and curiosity is at work, and he gives himself all the time in the world to entertain it.
After we had gone to both parks near our house (oddly enough, they are across the street from one another), the trek home takes as long as the rest of the trip does. I tried to manipulate my poor son by making a game of it. "Let's run all the way to the sidewalk!" "Yeah!" was his eager reply. It would be a fine plan...if we didn't have to run past dandilions. Not the bright yellow version; the white, puffy ones. My son cannot leave them untouched if he sees it. And if he sees one, he's on the hunt for all the others...in the world. He cleared half the field of these dandilions. It must have taken 20 minutes to go 100 yards. He just wants to pull the white, puffy part off. Then he moves on to the next. The excitement in his eyes, and all over his face, as he spotted another and yet another one was precious. We should all find joy so easily.
Yet while I watched my son pick apart the stem of one of the fluffy weeds, it occured to me that while he was thoroughly engaged in the moment, it wasn't a very worth-while activity. Don't get me wrong. It was fun and adorable, and I had great joy and peace in watching my son find such enjoyment in the moment. How often do we do the same thing? Though God smiles down on us in our enjoyment, how often do we spend an inordinate amount of time doing something completely unimportant. We may even believe it to be important, but just like my son picking apart a weed, we too find ourselves in wasted moments.
I do think there's a difference in the two situations. For my son, it is exploration of a new world for him. He has no bills to pay, no laundry to fold, no thank you cards to write, and no friend to call just to catch up. Exploration, in any form, is his job right now. However, our weeds tend to be television, the internet, not calling those dear to us to say "hello". We waste many moments doing something unimportant, like picking apart weeds.
Children are a precious reflection of who we are. We can learn so much from them. We should learn to be more like them rather than forcing them to be like us. In all of our years, we have spent too much time picking apart weeds rather than developing our character. Sometimes we find that the weeds have overrun our lives and must pick them out of our lives. Those "weed" moments pollute our souls. Why on earth would we want our children to be more like that? We can learn a lot from their sweet innocence and pure character.
Today, live in the moment. That's a difficult thing for me to do. I'm very "future" oriented. However, it's imporant to relish each moment. Take your time today and discover the peace it brings to your life.
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