new eyes...

One of my favorite quotes of all time since college has been by Marcel Proust- "The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.” Life sometimes seems to really be a lot of the same tasks and routines and finding new and fresh views keep it much more interesting! My children are constantly giving me 'new eyes.' It's a toss-up at the moment, but I think the nethermost regions of our backyard are perhaps the worst looking part of our home. We yanked out a bunch of shrubs last year and have not placed sod there yet. I look out the window and all I see are the terribly overgrown weeds about to go to seed and the huge hole that needs dirt. My kids however always play back there. It's been a campground for pioneers, a jungle with wild beasts, and the favorite-yet messiest is the pit filled with water-a giant stew. Most recently these plentiful milkweeds have gone to seed. Noah was fascinated when Lauren showed him how to blow them. And so while it may be a few years off until I have a weedless backyard and beautiful plants, hopefully the kids will remember all the fun they imagined and in the meantime maybe I can see a little bit of what they so easily see-fun!