Childlike wonder

This morning I was out of bed by 7 to run some of the bike paths I feel so fortunate to have in my new neighborhood. I grabbed the newspaper at the end of the drive as I walked into the house after a cool run. I love having time to search through the paper (something I don't always have time to do) so I was anxious to sit and read articles that interested me. Many articles caught my interest...a few Obama articles, Katie Smith (former buckeye basketball player) heads to her 3rd Olympics ( I can't wait to share in the excitement of the Olympics with my kids) and then I happened to come across an article about the recent death of Randy Pausch, author of the Last Lecture. I remembered seeing Pausch on Oprah sharing his story of cancer but more importantly his outlook on life. As I read the article, I cried looking at the happy photograph of Randy, his wife and his young children. Then I kept reading and remembered how brave this man sounded. He was quoted as saying "If I don't seem depressed or morose as I should be, sorry to disappoint you." The words that clearly made me reflect the most were..."you have to decide if you're a tigger or an eeyore. I think I am clear where I stand on the Tigger/Eeyore debate. Never lose the childlike wonder. It's just too important."

Working with 6-7 year olds on a daily basis is one of the gifts I have been given to help me hold on to "childlike wonder." Don't you just know the feeling he is talking about? I feel it in the classroom as I envision the energy of 20 first graders watching me carefully pick up a caterpillar creeping through the grass and place it on my arm or their eyes when I read them a new book that are anxious to hear. For me, I am fortunate to have "childlike wonders" happen at home too with my boys...seeing a deer quietly wander through the backyard or when my five year old turns scientist in the kitchen mixing and combining to see what his final concoction will be. It is the "childlike wonder" that keeps us going, learning, sharing and talking. Only 29 days until I share my days with friends who will help me learn more about that wonder.