Slow Down

Children often remind me of what I fail to see, hear, or understand. For instance, the excitement of children when they see the first dandelions of the year. How happy they are to present the bright yellow flower to people, especially mothers and grandmothers. And I wonder how is it I don’t really see the beauty of these little flowers against the lush green grass.

Seeing the dandelions does remind me that when I was a child, the dandelion leaves were the first salad we had every spring. That memory also brings another one: that of snacking on red clover.

Another memory of spring and plants is that of our milk cow managing to find every green onion there was in the pasture. We couldn’t drink her milk for at least a month. I do have to admit those wild onions did add a great deal of flavor to a beef or pork roast, or egg or potato salad.

Have you ever truly watched a child playing in rain puddles? How they jump in and out of them, laughing all the while. If you have then you may remember experiencing their excitement to the point of where you also want to play in the puddles.

Then there’s the peal of a child’s laughter when a puppy licks their faces. Along with the joy they have when they are playing with a puppy or kitten. How tender they are as they pet the young animal. And how concerned they are the puppy or kitten are given food and water on a regular basis,

Ever watch a group of children running and playing together? They are so carefree. Their laughter and voices resound and echo back. How can you possibly refrain from smiling?

What about the smiles and giggles they have when caught using a flashlight under the covers to read long after you thought they were asleep? I remember many times I was in that situation. I’d become so engrossed in a book there just was no way I was going to go to sleep and miss out on all the action.

So much of the time, we, as adults, think we are so busy, have so many things to do, that time to simply stop to see, hear, and feel what’s going on in our world is nonexistent. We need to slow down and appreciate our blessings. The beauty that surround us, the joy we are able to experience at the sight of a mother or father bird feeding their youngsters. The smell of linens dried outside. The taste of that first tomato or cucumber from the garden. The fragrance of a rose bush in bloom. Or hearing birds singing in the morning -- even in the evening as they bid us good night.

Instead of relying on things -- television, trips, electronics -- to bring joy or peace to our lives, we need to depend more on what and who surrounds us.