Pondering

I need to try and make an effort to post more than once a month. I don't always have a lot going on in my life but just because there aren't any major events or activities going on doesn't mean that I have nothing to say. I am the kind of person that likes to ponder a lot. I like to look around me, take in everything and then later find myself thinking about the color of the blossoms on the tree, how amazing the sound of silence really is and be amazed at the invention of cars as I'm driving home from work next to another car going over 65 miles an hour. My head is full of random thoughts all day long. Working at a day care definitely fills my head with interesting thoughts because kids don't see the world the same way adults do. They don't process information the same and they don't understand a lot of things so they take any information given them and try to make sense of it in their own words. For example, I was sitting at the lunch table with the kids when I hear a conversation that went something like this:

Johnny: I don't like milk.
Peter: Even if you don't like it you have to drink it because it makes it so your bones don't fall off.

I tried the best I could to not laugh out loud but to me that is hilarious. At that moment I could just imagine the situation in which Peter learned this information. I imagined him sitting at home during dinner and not drinking all of his milk and his mom saying "Peter you need to drink your milk" Peter then would have asked "Why?" and then his mom would have given him the answer that almost all parents would give "Because milk makes your bones strong." Now the wheels instantly start turning in Peters head and he connects milk with strong bones and to a four year old the only reason why you would need your bones strong is so they don't fall off your body. Makes perfect sense.

While the kids are playing I find myself just watching them sometimes and being amazed at how small they are. I used to be that small. It's weird how things grow. They all look so different, come from different places and circumstances, and they all have different personalities. Who will they become? What choices will they have to face? What hardships are in or are coming into their lives. The creation of man kind and the plan of happiness is truly incredible.

The kids ask me questions all day long and they usually have a simple explanation. Questions like: Why can't Hercules go back to heaven? Why will the worm die if I hold it instead of putting it in sand? Why does the sun make you red and me brown? If you're not a teenager, and you're not a mom, then what are you? ha ha. And when the smoke detector went off a child asked, Why is there a fire truck in the ceiling? As simple as some of the questions seem I tend to think a little bit deeper. Why can't Hercules go back to heaven? He's mortal, he's no longer a God, he is not like his father and must become like his father to go back. It's interesting how a child's question can develop into a philosophical brain exercise that usually connects to something spiritual. I learn so much from my job. I teach the ABC's and 123's but they teach me so much more.