Inside a Child’s Heart Lies the Key to Now
There’s nothing like the unbridled glee of a child to bring the warmth of a golden sun into a cold, partially cloudy Monday.
I was heading back to my office after a brisk walk in frigid temperatures, at least for California — the low will be 38 degrees tonight. Brrr. I know. I can see some of you knee deep in snow and ice shaking your heads — saying, those folks out West don’t know what cold is. My bad.
Frozen in my tracks by a distant lullaby, I stood on the periphery of a neighborhood park when I heard the singing voice of a small child reaching, climbing vocal stair-steps, aiming for the top rung of her lungs.
Stunning. Almost brought me to tears. I expected a group of children to follow, practicing for a stage play. Nope, one child expressing all the happiness her heart could hold, with no idea of her impact on a weary passerby.
She twirled through the tricolored autumn leaves with reckless abandon. Her long dark braided pigtails flying in the wind — bangs flapping like puppy dog ears.
I wanted to run through those leaves too. Maybe I will this weekend. I need to remember that kind of simple joy.
Whatever the tune, she had complete control of her gift as it graced my ears in the whir of a slow building wind. The sheer beauty of the fleeting…
