Through the Eyes of a Child

Tonight I had the privilege of having dinner with my brother and his family. We went over to Windward Mall and ate at Maruki Tei. It was my first time there, and I normally don't like okazu because in my mind its been sitting out for who knows how long. However, it was decent I guess.

On the way home, I sat in the back next to my niece. She's two and a half, almost three. With her sitting in her car seat and with one eye on her dvd, she poked her head around the headrest and giggled at me. So, like any aunt, I pretended not to notice for a while, then surprised her by peeking around the headrest and giggling back. Back and forth this giggle game continued. She peeking at me; me pretending not to notice and then peeking back. On and on as we drove home.

It's a wonder to me how such a simple thing could be so entertaining to a three year old. What a contrast to her adult counterparts, who slave away at work grumbling about every little thing. If we could only view the world through the eyes of a child, life would be a bit more colorful, a bit more enjoyable.

So how can we, as adults, get back to that time in our lives when the world was new? How do we get back to when everything around us sparkled so bright that we reached out to touch it? How do we find our inner child when he or she is buried deep under stress, frustration, responsibilities, disappointments, jobs, family issues, bills and other "adult" problems? How do we get back to Duck, Duck, Goose and Freeze Tag? Chase Master and Red Light, Green Light? Chinese Jump Rope and Hop Scotch?

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