Seeing the world through new eyes

There’s something that happens internally when you realise your child is seeing the world through brand new eyes. All of a sudden, you yourself notice the different textures of sea sand, leaves and any other everyday objects that before were blurs of existence.

All of a sudden, you realise that a simple walk through a park is a multisensory experience, that a butterfly fluttering past does indeed have a “butterfly effect”, that a little trickling stream is a vast source of entertainment, that a sunset is a magnificent natural light show and that the little things do indeed count more than you realised a few months ago. Yes, some simple things in life have become a luxury – like both parents having a warm lunch at the same time using both hands and uninterrupted conversation or pressing the snooze button on the weekend (we are woken up at 6 every morning by our very reliable human alarm clock), but the price is a small one to pay.

I recently watched our son playing with his favourite companion, a dog called Ben. Oblivious to the world, they spent nearly an hour trying to fish for tadpoles (under my constant mommy surveillance, of course). The way they were immersed in their task at hand reminded me that these moments are too precious. Being able to watch him become a little man with an understanding of the world is the greatest gift and honour ever bestowed.