Have You Ever Noticed...

It's said that children are the ones with "a sense of wonder." Poppycock.

I had no interest in things like weather, trees, the color of the sky, flowers, looking out the window as I drove down the road, anything... when I was little. Even into my 20s, I was oblivious. But now, in my thirties, it seems like that's all I CAN do! I marvel at flowers and trees and blue skies and green rolling hills and little stone cottages and old white clapboard farmhouses.

This is nothing special or unique to me; everyone probably appreciates such things. But what I'm trying to say is that my appreciation of and attention to such things is intensifying year by year. For example, I never had any interest in a blooming Bradford Pear until about 8 years ago... now I notice them all over the place and they're just so beautiful.

So what was I thinking about when I was younger? I mean, I knew the trees and hills were there; but why did I never think "wow, that's beautiful!" I do remember driving the endless 3.5 hours between Nashville and Memphis as a child, and looking out the windows at green hills and wishing we could just stop the car so I could get out and start walking, but it wasn't from any appreciation of beauty or wilderness, etc.

Now I still feel that way; that I'd like to stop the car on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere and just start walking into some random valley... but that's partly because it's so GREEN. Now I notice Spring, and Fall, and as I drive around town I'm thinking of particular routes I could take that have lovely trees or views.

I was OBLIVIOUS as a child. I'm much more aware as an adult.