wednesday is my princeton lunch day. which means i go to lunch and eat with the fourth and fifth graders. more so, hang out and chat with each table for a few minutes, being intentional about chatting with the soccer players, making sure to chat with everybody else while also graciously saying no to chatting too long to certain kids, and trying to time it right so that i see each table before lunch is up. takes some practice, i'd say.
1. johnson, a soccer player, was writing his name in his book as i walked up. the way he was carefully writing it with a huge pen made me think he was signing a yearbook. so, i asked him what it was. just a book of his. he was using his friend's pen - one of those huge ones with lots of different colors to choose from. and, i had a couple thoughts. i bet johnson carefully chose his color to write with. it might have taken him a while, maybe a minute or so - gotta get the right color. i bet he's being real careful about how he writes his name, as he wants it to be perfect. i bet he's focused only on writing "j-o-h-n-s-o-n" and nothing else. i bet he's enjoying the heck out of writing those seven letters and is in no rush.
2. i walked over to a fifth grade table where kiersten, one of the girls on my team, was sitting. i sat down at the open seat in front of her. while saying hello to everyone else at the table, i got caught up in conversation about something happening at school later in the day. i glance over at kiersten. she has this look of anticipation like she just can't wait to tell me something, with maybe even a bit of wiggling in her seat trying to either be patient or contain something. i try to graciously end my other conversation so i can chat with my soccer friend kiersten. and once i give her the floor, she pipes up, "you know that northstar party? it's on my birthday." and she goes on and on about her birthday plans...for a while. and, i just listen and think. soak it all in. thinking on how long she has been waiting to tell me this. thinking about what it was like to be her age and be excited about something.
from a boy who is carefully writing his name in a book to a girl who eagerly waits to tell her soccer coach her birthday plans, kids often see the world differently. duh, right? learning point #1 of the day - they often appreciate the smaller things. maybe because they're a bigger part of their lives. i remember being ten years old, and being super pumped to celebrate my birthday. like, for the entire month before. oh yeah. and, i'm thinking of how i don't see the world like a child. i don't appreciate the small things. i don't go slowly through life. i don't take time to rest and just think and be. i don't take time to pick a color, i just do whichever one is quickest. this has been me of late, although i'm slowly changing. yes, indeed. and praise the lord for that. because i want to change back to seeing life through a child's eyes. to see the fall colors and marvel at this world and its creator. to see a blue sky and smile. to watch a sunset. to really be present with people and enjoy being with them. to eat slowly and savor the flavors of whatever food i'm eating. to anticipating as i go to sleep. to even going to sleep early. ha. to just being, and not worrying about whatever's next. cheers to continuing the art of remembering and resting...
