The Awe of Children

Have you ever watched a child with a new toy, or in a new cool place, like the zoo? The look of amazement as he sees a giraffe for the first time, or the way she figures out how the toy works, like it's a miracle is what I'm talking about as 'awe'. There is a moment that new concept filters to their fresh mind, when their eyes sparkle at the wonderment of something.

That moment, that awe, is what we, as adults, have lost. We act like we've seen it all. Or we are cynical that anything can truly be magical. At some point in our lives, someone said "Grow up. Stop acting like a child!" When did that come to mean that we need to stop looking around us and noticing the magick that is everywhere? When my son was about four, we moved into a smaller house, with a wild yard. There were large trees, landscaping, and wildlife, as it was on the edge of town. One day, I was weeding in a flower bed and noticed movement in a Japanese maple tree. Upon inspecting it, I found a beautiful mantis crawling up the leaves. I called to my son, who came out to look at what I had coaxed onto a stick. The look of awe on his face as he watched it crawl and move, turning it's head, took my breath away.

We need to find that amazement in the things around us again, and find why those things are sacred. It fills the heart, lightens the soul, and makes us remember what is truly important.