Lesson's from the Eyes of a Child.
Mother's Day passed and Father's Day is approaching; we honor those in our lives that have taught us from the wisdom of years of experience, and so we should. But when was the last time we learned from the eyes of a child? What can we learn from them?
My own children are grown and beginning on their own new adventures, and yes, I may always see them as my babies, but let's face it, they're growing into their own. They will be surrounded with the wisdom of the aged, and the lessons they too will face, some hard, some gentle. But one of the things that I love about what I do, and am passionate about, is capturing the eyes of a person and the stories they tell.
In particular, I love what the eyes of a child full of innocence and wonder for life can teach us! There is no pretense or judgement, but they are constantly analyzing the world around them, while shaping their views of life. They don't see status, class or color. They see opportunities and wild fantasies that penetrate our natural existence. To an adult, time slips through our fingers like water and we find ourselves always running after more. Yet to a child, time is not a commodity but a facilitator to all that is important in the now.....even if it's just eating breakfast. We live FOR the moments, while they live IN the moment.
One of my favorite photo sessions are 'day in the life' family lifestyle sessions. It's there, as I do life with them to capture the day to day events from breakfast to bedtime stories, that I learn so much about staying in the moment.
What if we were to live out our days with more of this in focus? What if we were to live out our days more like a child; learn to take life a little less seriously and feel enough freedom to throw up our arms, jump off the side of the bed and give it our all? Or twirl about, singing to the top of our lungs about what fills our hearts? What if every moment were an opportunity? What if we took time to learn as they do, eyes wide and full of wonder? How would this shape my moments wasted or time gained?