Through the Eyes of a Child

Day 11: Try to see the world through the eyes of a child. Think about the things you take for granted on a daily basis, and then express gratitude for everything down to the basic necessities that sustain your current life.

No, I have not stopped doing my Gratitude Challenge. The days where I haven't documented anything are the days that didn't require writing. Yes, I could have written about them, but I instead decided to just try and focus on them mentally (being they were "mental" challenges, and all!).

Today's challenge is pretty great. We could all use to look at the world through a child's eyes. Oh to have that vulnerability, sense of carelessness, wonderment at all the 'new' things observed and as my Belle would say, experiencing it all with "joy, joy, joy". They love totally and completely unconditionally. They give us their hearts and trust us implicitly with them.

Kids are able to do things with such enthusiasm. So many things are brand new to them and they are experiencing an incredible amount of 'firsts' in life. And let's face it, their responsibilities are limited at this point in their young lives and consequences come from mom and dad usually...people who love them unconditionally and have their best interests at heart! They don't have all those 'adult responsibilities' yet so it's logical to believe it is easier for them to live this way and operate their lives with such spontaneity. Could be.

Another great thing kids do is bounce back. They are so resilient. I am extremely grateful for that. As adults, we tend to hang onto our mistakes and re-live them over, and over, and over (see where this is going?) instead of saying, "That sucked. I won't do that again," and move forward and work hard at regaining our footing and dive right back into our life and the responsibilities we get with it. I know I beat myself up over past mistakes vs. forgiving myself and moving on. Kids watch us and learn by example. I've gotta make sure my kids are watching me take on my responsibilities like I hope they will when they are adults, friends, spouses and parents. Scary thought, I know...

There are plenty of people in the world who aren't lucky...yes I said lucky...enough to have responsibilities. Either they've been taken from them, they aren't free to experience them or they are unable (maybe due to health reasons) to take on their responsibilities. So yes, I'm even grateful that I have responsibilities.

I'm sure I take more for granted in my life than I could ever imagine to name. From my car that is paid for to the fact I have bread and lunch meat in the refrigerator. And hey, even for the refrigerator. But, my family tops the list for sure.

If I tried to make a list of things for which I'm grateful, I'd surely leave things off and the list itself would be verbose.

What I can tell you is the things that would come to mind first are the ones I touch, smell, taste, feel and hear on a daily basis. They're simple things.

The smell of my kids right after a bath.

The sight of them going to bed every night and waking up every morning.

The caress of a hand wrapped in mine letting me know, "I'm here".

The sound of my family's laughter bouncing off the walls.

A deep and true hug from someone who loves you completely and unconditionally.

Kisses.

The tingling I get when a prayer is answered.

The fact my kids have never known what it's like to be starving.

Yes, the things I'm grateful for most aren't really things at all. They are experiences, I suppose. I need to be better at experiencing things as 'firsts' again through my kid's eyes. To be able to look at their 'firsts' or new experiences with the same excitement they are. Their adventure should also be my adventure, to some degree. Not to take anything from them, but to explore and feel it with them. So many times, I see the look on their faces or hear the enthusiasm in their voices when they see, hear, feel or do something for the first time. I relish those times. But I almost want to get down on their level and feel child-like about it. Giddy almost. I need to work on that.

I wonder: Is it possible to live everyday through the eyes of a child while still finding "joy, joy, joy" in the fact we are lucky enough to have responsibilities?