what do you see?

It's cold outside today. The wind blows in strong gusts across the fields and through the layers we've put on, causing teeth to chatter and eyes to water in response to the crispness of the air. April carries a hopefulness of coming warmth, which oftentimes isn't communicated to the month of May, hence the reason jackets and woolen socks haven't yet been stowed away. Days like today encourage us to admire from afar; to view the world beyond through windows smudged with fingerprints. Sometimes we're cuddled in blankets or with one another, oftentimes we're accompanied with a book or beloved pet as we look on. Days of barefooted jaunts across the yard and freckled faces donned with smiles wide and eyes alive are on their way, but have yet to come. We wait in hope and excitement as spring continues unfolding into summer, and gratitude too. For springtime, despite the level of bitterness it may hold, remains a sign of yet another brutal winter finally coming to its end.

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While I'll question most anyone about most anything, children are among my favorite sorts of people to ask about what they see in the world around them. Their answers are like invitations to see the world as less of a laundry list of work to do and more of a place which is full of good and wondrous things. I asked Lucy what she could see outside, and what she thought was beautiful. My questions, I hope, awakened thoughts about life and zeal for the world beyond, while her answers were those which inspired a desire for simplicity and contentment with what surrounds. Naming off every sort of plant she knew and could see and making note of the ones we planted and the trees she liked most, Lucy's descriptions drew me into the world as she saw it. Pine cones are beautiful when you're 5 years old and these, along with worms, are wholly fascinating. The way she looks at the world makes me reconsider the way I look at the world. Little ones are the best ones.