Wonderment
From Matthew 18:1-3 (New International Version):
At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. 3 And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Last week, I tagged along for a walk with a friend and her daughter, even though I wasn’t really feeling up to it that day. I had a bunch of things stressing me out, but I figured, why not give it a shot? I’d never gone on a walk with a kid before, so I was kinda curious to see what it was like. And you know what? I’m really glad I did. Once we arrived at the park, she burst out of the car, all excited and full of energy. She told us she didn’t want to go to the monkey bar area because she got hurt there the last time. So, we ended up taking a stroll around the park instead. Along the way, she set up these little checkpoints where she’d pose a riddle as a sort of password before letting her mom and me pass through. It was such a blast—I couldn’t help but get into it. Just being around her infectious energy and curiosity lifted my spirits. Walking with kids has this way of shattering any pretence of composure. I mean, they’re blissfully unaware of what that even is, let alone worrying about it. It makes you realize how much we, as adults, are always trying to control how we are perceived by others. We’re like chameleons, changing ourselves to fit what we think others expect. Kids, when at play, don’t really waste time on that kind of mental gymnastics. It’s like what Jesus said right? If you don’t strip away all the pretence or needless weight of adult expectations and rituals and just show up with pure wonder and joy, you will not enter into the kingdom of heaven. And let’s not forget, there’s a big distinction between being child-like and being childish. I am making a case for the former. Child-like qualities are all about having a sense of wonder, creativity, authenticity, playfulness, awe, resilience, trust, forgiveness, and a bunch of other good stuff. And, as we walked, I followed the child like a student watching a master at work, eager to incorporate some of her ways into my own life. ☀️
She kept us entertained the whole time, chatting about this device she’d invented. Then she got us to pluck some dandelions and make wishes. Since I often find it hard to make wishes on the spot, I wished for long life, great health, and prosperity. After we had done that, she went about picking and playing with twigs. Then, as soon as she spotted two big dogs wandering around without leashes, without a second thought, she dashed towards them. One of the dogs started heading her way with intention to harm, but thankfully, the owner was quick to call their dog back just in time. You’d think that should be enough to scare her but no, she walked up to them and started petting them. And to add to that? She had no fear, jumping from rocks that had me holding my breath for her safety. There just wasn’t a rock too high for her to climb or a hole too scary to check out. What’s surprising to me is that I had never felt that type of dread before. I made sure that she was always in my line of sight at all times. If this is what parenting feels like, shout out to my parents then. I am sure I must have been a handful. Interestingly, her diction was impeccable and she seamlessly hopped from one topic to the next. She also strolled with this cool, carefree vibe that I couldn’t help but admire. And get this—she had her flute with her and would play it now and then as we walked. 🌞
She was totally in her own world, not even paying attention to what anyone else was up to. Whenever she spotted something cool, she’d excitedly point it out to her mom. Before we reached the end of the trail, she mentioned she was hungry. So, we headed to the restaurant in the park. Apart from the restaurant, the park also has several padel courts, and you’ll often find them packed with people playing every day. The construction of the padel courts has breathed new life into a park that was once relatively quiet. There’s this wooden bridge that links the padel area to where you can sit and eat. Well, she thought it was cool idea to climb the rails of that bridge and try to balance her way to the other side. I couldn’t even watch because the thought of her falling and hurting herself would break my heart. We sat down, and someone came over to take our orders. While we waited, she pulled out her flute and started playing. Soon after, I grabbed my phone and showed her the flute sample that A$AP Rocky used in his song “Praise the Lord.” I can’t recall if she thought the song was interesting. As she played, my thoughts wandered to Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull and his iconic flute. It had been almost a year since I last listened to Thick as a Brick, a timeless favorite of mine. I asked her about her friends, and she told me that two of them were no longer at her school. I felt a twinge of sadness for her, but she quickly reassured me, saying she still had other friends there. That brought a smile to my face, and I felt grateful for the chance to hang out with her. When I mentioned to her mom that I didn’t know how to play padel, she suggested we watch the people on the courts to get an idea. I thought that was really smart advice. ⭐
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