journaling

Writing this journal, I've been doing it for years now - sometime regularly but most of the time not so. When I do not write, it really is that I do not have the time, energy or enthusiasm (or all 3) to write. But it is never that I dont have enough matter to write or good stories to write. Everyday is full of such exciting happenings around me (thanks to the hero of this journal), that it can be my full time profession - just to witness and write. And I realize, the more I make it a point to write these wonderful moments, the more I notice and enjoy them and more of them. And I'd love to do this job, full time - all the time! But I'm also doing the job of providing 'nourishing' dynamic setting for these moments to unfold - the regular chores and running errands, managing play dates and park plays, planning visits to library, museum, zoo and aquarium or simply tolerating all the mess in the house (sometimes adding to it too) and then tidying it up for another activity or event the next day (read more but different mess). And I'm also partly doing a full time job of curiosity quencher - answerer and reader and googler for all those 'tell me whys'. But if I dont write them, I know these key moments are lost forever. Hope I can make time to write, always.

observation

Kids are clever. Yes, more than us adults! Or should I limit this statement to just myself rather than generalizing it. Yesterday TV and I were back home from library. We love to take bus to the library and back. As we entered our building, TV exclaimed, 'look mom, Kevin has got a beautiful chair.' Kevin is our building manager who has a little office at the entrance. I looked at the chair, it was a normal sleek black office chair. He was not in the chair then. For a moment I thought then I asked TV, 'Is this new?' She nodded with a smile and repeated, 'and it is beautiful!' This morning when I met Kevin, I passed on TV's compliment. He looked visibly (and pleasantly) surprised for a moment and then said, 'she is clever. I changed this a couple of days back. The earlier one was bulky and I thought it was a little (ugly).' The earlier was not very different from the new one, now that I remember (ha). It was a black office chair, just a bit bigger and bulkier. (I hadn't even noticed that it was changed). 'She can sit on it, if she wants!' Kevin said, visibly impressed (not sure with what - my lil one or his choice of chair). But it sure seemed that this was the first time since he changed the chair, that anyone noticed and/or commented on it. To me, this just proves that kids are more observant (they see and remember a lot more than we do). They have a very open mind - that allows them to take inputs as they are - without judging whether it is important, relevant or significant. And most of all they are carefree - no thoughts of what to cook for dinner while entering the lobby or plans to tidy the house before cleaners arrive, or scampering the hand through a bag full of kid stuff to find a ringing phone. Whatever it is, kids are clever, they have a fresh mind - all the time, always willing to learn (and ask questions)