Unfortunately, I was not able to
capture this beautiful moment on film, though it was a perfect Kodak moment. I
was driving home from school and stopped for the bus to let off the elementary school
children. This little girl, who was in 1st grade, hopped off the bus
with her pink backpack that was about half her size. She spotted her dad across
the street and ran full speed towards him. She was so excited to see him that
her head got too far in front of her feet and she stumbled in the middle of the
road. She did not let this slow her down; she caught her balance and kept
sprinting to her dad’s waiting arms.
I saw this happen and a huge smile
spread across my face. The joy that the little girl had at seeing her dad was
something that many don’t experience. I sat there and tried to remember the
last time I had been as excited about something. Sadly, it had been a while. I
realized that as I get older I lost some of my excitement for the little things
in life. I no longer jumped around the room when I got a lollipop or couldn’t wait
to go to the grocery store with my mom. I
found that things that used to excite me as a child, started to seem like a
chore. Instead of wanting to go to school,
I dreaded it. I no longer wanted to run and get the mail. I guess I started to
take for granted these little moments in life that had thrilled me when I ways
younger.
Seeing this little girl made me
realize how joyous these little moments could be if I let them. If I stopped
worrying about how tired I was or what others might think, I believe I would be
more excited for life in general. I wanted to rekindle the giddiness that used
to be so common in my childhood days, though this was only the first step. I began
to worry that even if I did find that joy that, at the first stumble, my excitement
would crumble. I tend to look at the small trip- ups in life as a giant issue
instead of something that I can easily overcome. I think that part of finding enthusiasm
in life is to not let things bother you or get in your way. To be truly happy
one needs not to see themselves as the victim of issues but as the conqueror of
tough obstacles!
The small moment of seeing this little
girl running made me realize how negatively I have been viewing the world. I
want to challenge myself and encourage others to join me in being excited; running
full speed and not letting anything stop us. If we could find the joy in the little
moments, and see obstruction as something to get over instead of an obstacle, I
believe that life would turn out more beautiful than before.
This is exactly what I feel has set me back in life. It seems like we have evolved to be negative people. From the way we act to the way we treat dread things in life. It truly is the little things in life that hold us back or move us forward. I like that you were able to get such a great message out of such a little moment. I get exactly what you mean by it though and It also gives me that kid of mine back to action and makes me realize that things aren’t at all as hard or as complicated as we set them to be. It’s really just the point of us thinking bigger than the simple joys of life.
ReplyDeleteI love the whole idea of your blog in general! It is too often that the little things are over looked. It reminds me of one of my favorite scripture verses: "By small and simple things are great things come to pass." I believe that it is the small things like this that make the world go round. This story is a beautiful imagery of conquering the world full speed ahead, but in simple, everyday acts. It is my inspiration this week to be the best version of me and live life with a smile focusing on only the highlights, however small they may be. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteEryn!! Im glad that there are still people out here that realize things like this are happening, I believe that most people, including myself would have been sitting there saying stuff like hurry up little kid, or get out of my way just because they see only what matters to themselves. I believe that it’s a gift to be able to observe these sorts of things and realize what is actually happening.
ReplyDeleteI was thinking the same thing earlier this week. We are so close to graduating and the little childish things being over, but I am not ready for that. I want to get over excited to see a cartoon movie. Or jump up and down when I get a letter in the mail from my cousin. Your blog reminded me that we need to enjoy the little things because there may come a day when that’s the only light we have. We should get excited about the simple things to brighten up every day, so we don’t get cynical early. :)
ReplyDelete