Through the eyes of a child

As I near the end of my college career, I feel old. I know, I know, I am not really old. I am 21 years old, but I feel like I have grown up a lot the last four years. I find myself worried about "grown up things" like paying for graduate school, finding a place to live, making sure that my resume is in tip-top shape, getting to bed at a decent hour so I can function in the morning, and working enough to pay the bills — things I never thought about when I began college. I feel as though I should begin to act like the adult I am becoming, while at the same time trying to relish in my last semester as a dependent college student with very little to worry about in life. However, since spending three weeks with my two-year-old nephew, Silas, I have tried to start seeing things through the eyes of a child, and return to that time when I found joy in the silly little things in life.

Right now, I can look out my window and see snow. When the snow started to fall a couple days ago, I was pretty upset. I had had enough of snow for the winter, and I knew that it would only bring headaches to me and those around me. But there was this little voice in my head that kept telling me to enjoy it! While I was home for Christmas we had two snow storms that kept Baltimore white for almost all of Christmas break, and whenever my nephew Silas would look out the window, he would get more and more excited. For weeks he would look outside and exclaim, "Snow! Snow! Everywhere!" Yes Silas, there was snow everywhere, but what I loved was the joy that something as simple as snow brought to my adorable nephew.

It was not just snow, though, bringing me joy, it was everything about Silas. My three weeks at home gave me time to hang out with Silas and watch him as he experienced the world. Everything is a new adventure for him. He loves learning new things and showing off his skills. He gets excited when anyone new walks into a room and is quick to give hugs and kisses. He is happy and excited about life, even when it may not always go his way. As with every two year old, he throws his fits and gets upset, but he quickly gets over it and is back at his happy-go-lucky ways.

So, what is there to learn from this little boy? I have learned the joy to be found in snow storms, new lessons learned, and a hug from a friend. For Silas, all of these things are something special that bring him infinite amounts of joy. I am afraid that as I get older and feel more stress that I forget about these little things and overlook them. But Jesus taught us that the kingdom of God belongs to the little children and that they can teach us the most about life and faith. So, it is the lessons I have learned from a child that are the most important to me today. Life is a wonderful magical mystery, and sometimes we need to take a step back and look at the world through the eyes of a child to see it. When I start to feel bogged down and stressed by the impending real world, I try to remember that it is the simple things in life that can bring the most joy.