Discovery
As long as the weather is cool, and it’s not raining, often I will go outside early, long before dawn, and start a fire in the fire pit that sits maybe 150 feet from the house, out in the woods. Once the fire is nicely burning, Donna and I will sit there on benches, where we read or talk to feel connected before we begin the business of the day.
I have walked or driven by that pit uncounted hundreds of times over the years, to make fires and do unending tasks, and yet on a recent day I was stunned to discover for the first time a sight that had been there for at least 20-25 years. As Donna and I returned on the path to the house, I noticed some small, bright-red berries on a relatively small tree—maybe 20 feet high—that I had never seen in all these years.
The tree grew only a few feet off the path, but it was in a stretch where I would normally be talking to my sweetie, or pushing a cart, or focusing on a destination just ahead, so I simply never looked closely at that tree before. The berries were beautiful, and each was positioned in a location unusual for trees bearing fruit. I couldn’t stop myself from saying, “Oh my, the berries!” as I showed them to Donna.
I Googled pictures of trees producing red berries in the fall, and I discovered that I had been looking at a dogwood, a most ordinary-looking tree all year except for the spring, when it explodes in white or pink blossoms.
I reflected on what a treat it was to discover this living piece of art for the first time, and it occurred to me how many times in my life similar events have occurred, where I have finally seen or heard something that I simply had missed over and over before.
Sharing the Wonders of the World
Why does it matter? Because we are surrounded by beauty, everywhere, and much of it requires our conscious attention before the beauty can touch our souls. Almost every day I find some plant, or tree formation, or root system, or insect, or combination of words, or piece of music, or expression of feeling that enriches my life.
We see the beauty of the world and the people in it far better, and more often, the more we consciously choose to be aware of our surroundings. And we are fulfilled by such experiences. As parents, we have the privilege of helping our children become more aware of themselves, of other people, and of other things.
Instead of busily accomplishing tasks alone, we can look for wonders of the world to point out to our children—in nature and in people. We can teach them what we know and give them opportunities to look up more information for themselves—perhaps to share with us and the family later.
The world can be inexpressibly delightsome and rewarding. How fortunate we are that we can share this with our children and teach them to make their own discoveries.
