Recently I have been reading and listening to several different sources that talk about the ideas of presence, mindfulness and wonder. In our fast-paced busy world, full of screens loaded with distractions, these concepts are not prevalent in our thinking most of the time. I have long dealt with trying to discipline my mind to pay attention, especially in church, but it is still prone to wander and think about a thousand other things than the things that are going on right in front of me. Phil would tell you I'm at my worst when I'm supposed to be listening to something he's saying. I am also trying to be more mindful of my surroundings when I take walks for exercise. I find myself looking down at the ground too much, and sometimes my distraction is due to the fact that I use this time to pray, which is a good thing. I often stop now to look around, to listen, and to really see what is going on around me.
All that being said, I am learning to practice mindfulness and being present as I am watching Madeline. At nearly 16 months old, Madeline is totally present in every moment. Her mind is never wandering to her future plans or problems she might face. She looks intently at everything around her, seeing it with her young eyes and letting me see it with new eyes because of her.
Madeline loves being outside and would stay out all day long if we would let her. During this fall season I have watched her experience some things for the first time. Today we played in a pile of leaves, and she was totally enthralled with the sounds of the crunching leaves as we stomped on them and sat in the midst of them.
Last week we were outside on the driveway, and Madeline was running around on the pavement. As she ran, a strong gust of wind came up and blew a bunch of leaves across the driveway. As she stood there, feeling the force of the wind against her little frame, she became a little freaked out because she didn't know what was happening. I think she thought that the leaves were some sort of little animals running past her feet. This was a totally new experience for her, and it was fun to watch her process what was happening to her at that moment.
As I drove her back to her mom in the afternoon, she laughed and squealed the whole way to school. About halfway there it dawned on me why she was so tickled. I had given her a sippy cup with a straw that opens and closes when I put her in her seat. She had opened the spout and was shaking it up and water was flying all over the place. When we arrived she was totally soaked from head to toe (I'm so glad it was just water). No wonder she was having such fun!
Madeline is helping me rediscover the childlike wonder in everyday things. Our children and grandchildren do this for all of us, and it is a huge gift. If we embrace it, it will relight the flame of wonder in each of us.
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