This afternoon The Boy™️ and I had a picnic on the entertainment center.

No, literally. Like, we sat *on top* of the furniture and peacefully ate our lunch while watching the outside goingsons out the big window.

At one point, the wind began gently blowing the trees back and forth. It made the limbs and the shriveled up brown leaves, (who evidently did not get the memo to fall in Autumn) hanging on for dear life to the branches, dance.

He got very excited and pointed out the window, saying “Look! Look!”

I said, “What, bubba? What do you see?”

He continued pointing excitedly. Um….there was nobody outside? What was he seeing that I wasn’t?

He waved his chunky little hand and said, “Hi.”

That’s when it hit me:

He thought the tree was waving at him.
He was politely greeting her back.
He didn’t want to be rude.

Oh, to see with the fresh eyes of a child.

Child-like wonder. It’s something adults don’t often experience.

Somewhere along the line, the world tells us we’re supposed to grow up, be serious, and get our heads out of the clouds.

But I believe the clouds are exactly where our heads should be.

What if the rut you’re in is because of your dusty vision?

Because you’ve begun to see the extraordinary as commonplace and the miraculous as ordinary.

When’s the last time you stopped to smell the roses? Or had a conversation with a bee? How often do you check in with the blue jays, just to see?

How often do you rhyme? Or confuse colors with the time? Unawares trees have waved at you, and flowers called you “mine!”

It’s time for a change. I say no more, friends.

No more beige walls.
No more dinners in front of the TV, forgetting how to even taste or experience food.
No more walks in the park with your head buried in the blue light bosom of your smartphone.
No more double-tapping pictures of stars on Instagram — actually *looking* at actual stars with your actual eyes.
No more FaceTime. Just…face…time. (Time with people’s faces.)
No more being unaware and ignorant to the life teeming around us.

Obstupefacti.

Semper teneri.

We need to learn how to wonder again.

Because when a tree introduces itself, it’s rude to not wave back. 🌳

Obstupefacti. (Stay awestruck.)

Semper teneri. (Always fascinated.)

Semper tremendum. (Always in awe.)

I’m considering a line of merch based on these wicked cool Latin phrases, so get at me if you’re interested lol.

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