Wonder

Yesterday, as I walked through the skywalks downtown, I came across 2 young girls who put a smile on my face. They were clearly not city girls - probably visiting from some small prairie town. They were so excited to be downtown in the big city. They stood in the skywalk, looking down on the street and giggled with glee. "Look - I'm standing above the cars!" one of them exclaimed. And then they laughed at their own innocence - clearly torn between trying to blend in with all the "city people" and just wanting to enjoy the wonder of it all.

It made me smile because I remember that feeling - that sense of wonder and delight, coming to the big city. I remember begging Dad to drive through the city on the way home from Grandma's house at Christmas time so that we could see the Christmas lights. I remember riding a city bus for the first time, when Brad (who was SO much more experienced) lost his bus pass and had to leave us to ride the bus alone while he ran back to MacDonalds to look for it. I remember riding with Dad in the old farm truck on the way to the city to deliver pigs - it all seemed so magical, even from the window of a farm truck.

I hope I can always maintain some of that wonder - that there will always be something new for me to explore and delight in. I hope my kids find that too. I hope they don't get jaded too young.