Slow down and view the world through new eyes
In such a busy world, people don’t always take the time to slow down and take everything in. Leslie reminded me the other day that we should take some time every day to slow down and take in what’s around you. When you are moving fast, trying to get from point A to point B within a short period of time or always on your phone all the time, you miss the beauty around you. Leslie is always noticing things that I miss; a simple flower or a butterfly for example.
While listening to KLOVE in the mornings, a lot of times, the song “Breathe” by Jonny Diaz comes on and it helps me by reminding me of Leslie’s comments that EVERYONE needs to slow down and take in their surroundings. I frequently walk my younger kids to school in the morning. I use this time to enjoy God’s creation. My kids don’t really need me to walk them to school, but I enjoy doing it and watching Leslie stop and look at every little thing helps me see the world through her eyes.
Her little voice is always in my mind. “Mom, Look! A butterfly.” or “Mom, look at this pretty flower.” The “pretty flower” may very well be a weed in my eyes, but in the eyes of Leslie, it’s a creation of God and deserves as much attention as the flowers that we actually grow.
When you have 4 kids, it seems like you are always on the go. While one is doing one thing, another has to do something else. The only time that I have to myself is the 3 hours that all 4 kids are in school, so that’s the time that I use to get my running done, trying to clean and relaxation time. I also put Kyle in the child watch area while I’m working out at the YMCA. That blissful hour and a half to two hours is my “me time” so that I can get the running and cleaning done while he’s at school later. Then once I pick the kids up from school, it’s homework, evening activities, supper, baths, bed. There is no time to relax scheduled into evening hours, not unless Leslie once again pulls me aside and says “Mom, look at….” once again reminding me that no matter how much there is to do, I can still take a moment to breathe and enjoy at God’s creation.
This is a reminder that I’m sure everyone needs. Even if you don’t believe in God, and don’t see the world in the way that our family does, you still need to take time to enjoy the world’s beauty and take a moment to just breathe. Everyone deserves a little bit of time every day for just themselves, no matter what you have going on from day to day. The daily stresses will wait for a few moments while you just take the time to enjoy nature, if only for a couple minutes or to sit down for a cup of coffee/tea/whatever. In my case, that reminder comes from a little voice of an 8 year old who will pull me aside and say,”Mom, Look!” Where do you get your daily reminders from? Do you have a little voice that says, “Mom, look” as they walk by a flower, bug or animal? The next time your child stops you to look at something, that to you is a “weed”, take a moment to see that weed in the eyes of your child. It could really change your life.
It’s so true. I don’t believe in God but I do believe in the wonder of things. My kids often notice and find joy in the smallest and simplest of things that I miss as I’m usually so busy to get from one place to another. xx Great post.
Thanks! Leave it to the little ones to draw our attention to the small things that we would otherwise miss!
I love this. I often feel like I’m begging my kids to keep up with me when really I need to slow down and see the world from their view!
So many times, I’m scolding my 8 year old to “come on, hurry up” and she stops me in my track with, “but mom, I have to …” I always have to walk back to see what she’s so fascinated with and have stopped with the “but it’s just a weed” comments as I’ve learned to see better through her eyes. If she see’s something as a pretty flower, she doesn’t care that it’s a weed.
I loved this post – we all need to reminded to stop and just enjoy life. I spent an evening with a friends little girl last night watching the fireworks – it was fabulous to watch her excitement and awe of them. Thank you again.
Nina x
http://justnina.co.uk
I’m glad you liked the post. We all need the reminder that you can find beauty in the little things, you just have to see them in the eyes of a child.
Children are absolutely wonderful when it comes reminding us to stop and smell the roses! I know I cant tski mine for a walk around the block without coming back with twigs, acorns, funny looking stones and a million other gifts from nature!
My daughter has been know to dig up the pretty flowering weeds and replant them at home. We always find lives, rocks, sticks, pinecones, ect, all over the house and in the laundry, because I don’t have just one, but 3 that like to “collect” nature. However, my 8 year old is the only one who will actually stop look at and sniff a flowering weed like it’s the most beautiful flower she has ever seen…every, single time.
What a great post! Its always important to recognize the small yet great things in life.
That it is, and it only took a child seeing the world with her own eyes for me to realize that. I’m trying to see the world through her eyes more often
Great post. It is hard in this fast paced world to stop and notice the little things. We all need to take some time to look around us and appreciate what we have in our lives. Thanks for sharing 🙂
It’s even harder to actually remember to take the time to stop and notice the little things. When you are always busy, have things going on and are trying to think ahead to the next activity or place you need to be, when you don’t have a child stop you and say “look”, you just aren’t going to notice, and sometimes even when you do have that, you just shrug it off. Yup that’s a weed, come on. Instead you need to get into the habit of stopping and commenting on that weeds beauty. Or at least for me, that’s what I’ve been having to retrain myself to do. If an 8 year old can see beauty in a weed, we should acknowledge it.
Well said. We all need to take time to stop and see the things around us and enjoy life.
Yes we do. I’m lucky enough to get that reminder daily through Leslie’s words and actions.
Taking the time to appreciate your surroundings is so important! Such a great post for making us all remember how necessary it is X
Just in writing helped to once again remember that I have to slow down and look around me. I spent 20 minutes just looking out the window as I was writing this and of course, hearing in my mind my daughter’s words about always appreciating the nature around us. My 8 year old is quite different from all my other kids. She’s learned to appreciate everything around her.