Childlike Eyes

I want eyes that don't just look at the world, I want eyes that see.

I want eyes of a child that look at the world and see it for the wonderful, terrible, ridiculous, beautiful, crazy place it is. I want to wonder at the fact that water falls from the sky, flowers come up from dirt, caterpillars turn into butterflies, every snowflake is a unique work of art, and the sea isn't just a children's story.

Every sunrise and sunset I see is painted differently.

I want to be mesmerized by the waxing and waning of the smiling old moon, the way the wind dances in the grass and trades secrets with the trees, and those stars I see twinkling like pinpoints are bigger than this spinning rock I live on.

I want to laugh at the beautiful craziness that crickets sing, llamas spit 10 feet away, elephants have long noses, a giraffes neck stretches up so high, and a platypus exists in real life.

I want to remember often that my very existence is remarkable. I have lungs that function and laughter that fills them, a heart that to beats, eyes that can drink in the opulent colors that surround me, and I can feel.

I will bask in the feeling of sunshine on my face. I will savor the smell of fresh bread, I will delight in running and dancing, and I will relish the feeling as the pages of a book flick against my fingers.

I want to see and sense and smell and touch this glory that surrounds me.

So, call me childish, shake your head at me, write me off, fasten labels to me.

But I will not give up, I will be brave and I will always fight the scales that threaten to cover my eyes.

I will hunt for beauty and I will revel in all the glory that I find.

Pain and sorrow will be written into my story, it is unavoidable. A dark thread has been woven into my life. But truer joy and deeper love is born of pain and heartache. When dross is burned away the gold shines all the brighter. And all the pain and ache in the world is but a thin whisper next to Love's bright shout.

And one day it will all be turned backwards into joy.

Such is grace.

There is much to be grateful for here, and all the time.