I had the pleasure of a visit from some family members at the weekend including my great-nephew Sam and my great-niece Chloe both of whom are under 5. They were like a pair of whirlwinds and apart from sitting down to eat, never stopped for a moment. They played and played – and played and played – all day with no let up in energy!
We created a sheet of pictures depicting the things that could be found in the garden and fields and had them tick off everything they could find – blue tits, magpies, pheasants, goldfish, rabbits, horses, bluebells, geese, sheep, daffodils, leaves, trees and more. We walked in the quiet of the woods to be greeted by a carpet of bluebells, the smell of which was absolutely gorgeous. We stomped along the country lane in our wellies and walking boots and had a thoroughly good time breathing in the fresh country air and taking in the views.
Using all my five senses to experience the world and seeing it again as if a child myself was a wonderful experience! It reminded me, of course of how lucky we are to be surrounded by the beauty and diversity of nature and how much we take it for granted. At this time of the year, everything is burgeoning into life. The leaves on the trees are beginning to show their Spring foliage and there are signs of the wonderful summer flowers to come pushing up through the earth.
Every year without fail Nature provides us with visions of beauty; tastes of her fruitful bounty; glorious smells – bluebells, cut grass, roses; the sound of birdsong and the first cuckoo; and so many tactile experiences – the roughness of wood bark, the smoothness of pebbles. She is a true inspiration to us so let’s all take time to see again through the eyes of a child and truly appreciate the wonders of our beautiful planet Earth.
And just for a little synchronicity, my perpetual calendar today reads:
“Look at everything as though you were seeing it either for the first or last time. Then your time on Earth will be filled with Glory.’ Betty Smith
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