May 30, 2021

Rainy days are great for reflecting, getting things done, planning and sometimes letting your brain take you where it wants.  My husband and I were driving to the market and I noticed the car in front of us had a princess sticker on the rear window. But more important to me were the messy remnants of leaves and catkins which had fallen off an oak tree onto to the rear window. Funny thing was it morphed into a shape that made me look at it over and over again.  

The mashed up catkins formed a thin body with wings. It reached upward, flying with arms spread out in front like Superman.  It made me smile as I imagined this creation flowing through the air heading toward the plastic princess stick figure on the window.  It absorbed me.

As a child, I enthusiastically looked out the car window and was immersed with the scenery speeding by.  It was my own private show.  As my mom drove, I remember watching the power lines rise and fall, rise and fall like those rollercoasters I loved so much.  I have to hope kids do this. 

There are times when kids arrive for Seedlings class and I notice some of them on  their devices or watching videos on the back of the parent’s headrest. The time reserved for imagination and original fantasy has in some cases been replaced by ready-made ideas and mind filling “stuff.” It could be a treasure trove of ideas and imagination ignition if kids learn to fill their minds with the world passing in front of them.

The attached photograph is a creation by one of the Seedlings kids.  When I look at this I see a child who possesses qualities such as creativity, desire, wonder, imagination, and willingness to take a chance on an idea.  This is a fine example of the pureness all children have wrapped up in their developing brains.  

Something to ponder; are we giving our children and our adult selves enough time to look out the windows of life? I always love hearing your reflections so please share.

 PS. If you look at the bare bark in the photograph, do you see anything?  I see a face with long hair and a large nose.  Perhaps that’s who lives there. My mind never stops.