Seeing

Earlier this year, we started taking A on bike rides using the incredible iBert bike seat. And if you're ever having a bad day, I invite you to come on over and try it out for yourself. I guarantee that your mood will be fixed in nearly an instant.

So yesterday, in the midst of a good but full week of transitioning back into the lovely balance of work and home, I stole away with my oldest girl for a morning bike ride. Every day these girls remind me to open my eyes and look at life from a fresh, young, perspective - but bike riding with A is a most tangible example of the joy and light they bring in this way. A few moments from yesterday's ride may help you to understand...

• on the iBert, A sits in front of me, just behind the handlebars...her giant pink bike helmet is about 1/2 the size of her body, and she grins and waves joyously at every person we pass; as a result, I reap the reward of seeing all of the happy benefactors of said greeting
• in case you didn't know, orange construction cones are amazingly exciting, and each time we see one A shouts at the top of her lungs "ah! another orange cone!"
• A notices and says hello to every.single.animal. we greet along the path - she tweets at the birds and does the sign language sign for birdie to them, screams "hi doggie" on repeat as if every dog is both deaf but will respond if she yells loud enough, and cheers for every squirrel, praising its ability to scale a tree so quickly
• in addition to animals, A never misses a truck, mower or any sort of construction machine as we bike along (admittedly, trucks and construction have both never before been so charming or exciting to me - I also can't believe how much I have stopped noticing the everyday noises around me as she picks each and every one up)
• yesterday we passed by a neighborhood sign that sits next to two buffalo statues; after pointing them out to the girl, she decide that "buffalo" was not only a hilarious word but one very fun, in fact, to say at the top of her lungs while giggling intermittently - producing some of the biggest smiles and laughs from people passing by I have ever seen - oh, the joy this girl brings!
• most days, including yesterday, biking is accompanied by the ABCs in several formats - speedy quick, rocker style, or just regular old with plenty of "yays" for completing them successfully by the end of the song

And so we biked. And I was reminded of how this girl is teaching me to see again...reminded of how to me, orange cones and construction trucks only used to mean annoyance, and now they can bring joy. How every single animal is a part of God's great creation, and even a squirrel is brilliant in its own way - and needs to be celebrated. How easy it is to bring joy to other people, just by a simple smile and hello. How life is to be lived, and how even the simplest morning bike rides can remind us of the richness that surrounds.

To seeing the world through the eyes of a two year old - I have never been so thankful. 

(She says through blurred eyes thanks to the same darling two year old that decided the crack of dawn was a good time to wake this morning...)