Can you see it?
She sees it.
Mom, what is it? Make it stay still. I want it.
Got it.
What did she get? Just a leaf? A simple dried brown leaf hanging from a strand of spider silk. Nothing special. Or is it? Something magical. Spiraling, blowing in the breeze, seemingly suspended in midair.
This little babe of mine sees and hears things that I do not. Things that I passed by, my attention on other "adult important things". The teeny tiniest little woodpecker feather. A quarter inch long, black at the bottom, brilliant red at the tip. A discarded feather from either a tiny Downy Woodpecker or a grand Pileated Woodpecker. Both have red caps and are frequently seen in our woods.
Every day I am amazed by this little babe and how she is aware of her surroundings. It seems like such a simple thing, but so many people are not. They tune out, plug in, run by, myself included sometimes. In a moment like this, when her awe and amazement amaze me, the tantrums and screaming are momentarily forgotten. I realize that I do ask a lot of her, expect her to perhaps act more grown-up like than I should. There is plenty of time to grow up, but only a short time for moments like these.