On a recent trip my eldest was outnumbered by the amount of adults and little kids. The curse of our friends’ having younger kids, she often has to figure out what she will do (though always invited to play). Yet, for the most part, she is an independent bug and finds solace in book, screen time when granted and, my favorite, any chance to observe nature. Our home and the places we get to see regularly, are teeming with opportunity. While she is not someone who seeks to get dirty, be adventurous or even takes hikes regularly to find wildlife, she does love to observe animals in action.
We have heard her say more than once, “If all the animals on the planet lived, and the humans, who are the real problem, go away, I would be happy”. Although I have fun poking at her fate in that scenario, she is speaking from her discontent of our choices as people, and I think it is helping her develop more as a compassionate being. Perhaps I can take a little more time observing how creatures live to gain perspective on both the natural world and my daughter.
Building Cairns 