Raising Us

Our evolution, herein contained

Beauty is simple, simplisticity is beautiful

Posted on June 15, 2008 - Filed Under And your point is?, Adult swim, Parenting

Last night, I was reading Maggie to sleep. When I finished her last book, I looked at her to say goodnight. She was doing something very uncharacteristic for her—laying there, wide-eyed, silent, and not fidgeting. This caught my attention because, as I said, that is just not her, so I continued watching for the next 2 or 3 minutes. I thought she may be thinking about something but I didn’t want to ask her because she was being so good and quiet. She began to close her eyes on and off and then finally, kept them closed. The remarkable thing about this is, except for watching her do so in the rear view mirror while driving, I have never seen her actually go from fully awake to completely asleep. In fact, as I later told Erin, I don’t know that I have ever witnessed that process in anyone else. It was really quite amazing, a thing of beauty in fact. Some would say this is a weird thing to be writing or talking about, but I very much enjoy when this kind of thing happens and I notice it. There’s something very spiritual about noticing the ‘little things’—not letting a bird fly by without admiring it, taking more than just a moment to appreciate the beauty of a flower, contemplating the complexity of something like your child’s development. It indicates we are willing to slow down and cease, if only for brief time, obsessing about all the stupid crap and give some attention to the things that matter.

Comments

2 Responses to “Beauty is simple, simplisticity is beautiful”

  1. Jill on June 16th, 2008 11:21 am

    I agree! What a beautiful momment! Happy fathers Day!!

  2. Jake on June 18th, 2008 6:08 pm

    Great post, Jason. You’re great at articulating feelings and putting them into perspective.

    “There’s something very spiritual about noticing the ‘little things’…” I struggle with my faith a lot more than I’m ever willing to admit, but I’m often comforted (and reassured) with my children. I see God and the beauty of life through Cameron and Reagan and their development. Point being, I’m not surprised to hear you compare such “observations” as spiritual. It’s breathtaking nonetheless.

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