Monday, August 17, 2009

Through the eyes of a child

Posted by Terry McNichols

My husband and I did indeed survive the leave taking of our daughter and her family. Her husband drove their belongings to Texas in advance of them and so we had 18 days of non-stop, all-encompassing togetherness! It was my hope that this togetherness would make it easier when the moment finally came, but it was very sad to send them off. We will work at keeping in touch via phone, email, facebook, twitter and skype, as well as airline trips whenever possible, but it's the day-to-day closeness that we will miss. I am forever reminded that my siblings and I all did the same thing -- left our parents behind and moved on to our own new and exciting adventures.

What we have been commenting upon since their departure, is all the enthusiasm and excitement that a 3 year old brings to the world. Instead of lamenting over a raised drawbridge or having to wait for a train to pass, those events can be the highlight of the trip or even the whole day. Construction sites, diggers, backhoes look like exciting crash zones to a child! We now look at dock loading cranes and see dinosaurs; a train overpass is a huge thrill.

I am reminded of one of my favorite museum "ah-ha's." My husband and I found early in our travels that we had a different way of visiting museums. He could spend hours in the Sandpaper Museum, reading every piece of information. (Yes, there really IS a Sandpaper Museum and we really did spend far too long visiting it). When we first visited Europe, I felt much maligned for my lower tolerance for museum trivia. After many learning experiences, we finally found ways to see museums that worked for us. But one of the rationales that helped me stick up for myself was a revelation in Hundertwasserhaus in Germany:
The line I trace with my feet walking to the museum is more important and more beautiful than the lines I find there hung up on the walls. Hundertwasser, Paris 1953.
Our 3-year-old grandson has taught us once again to pay attention to the journey, not just the destination!

1 comment:

Jeremiah McNichols said...

We had our first great day with that inspiring little guy yesterday. Jenni, Z and I even got to take him to his first theater movie!

We're so excited to get a "turn" with some cousins close at hand. :)