Eat Your Peas

Mystery, wonder and awe. What makes your jaw drop these days? Reality TV? Extraterrestrial encounters?  (whats the difference?) As adults who control their own destiny (right?) what knocks your socks off? Is there anything that puts you over the edge anymore? Or have you experienced everything and suffer from a case of mental synapse relapse? You're just worn out from the consistent downgraded economic chatter?
Here's something with some flavor to get you thinking...

How about your kids? Do you see awe and wonder from them yet? Do they come home from school like mine, initially high but suddenly dazed and drawn out? I ask them how their day went at school and get a distant gaze - with no reply. What did you have for lunch? Same gaze and lack of reply.

Then the next day as we drive back from soccer practice - out blurts something about the first 13 stars and stripes and Betsy Ross and history and some book they're reading in class. Or how about after their first day at Spanish lessons, you walk out of the school with them and ask how it went and get something in Chinese (from last year and you've never heard before "oh I was just counting"). Yes you were, now lets see what happens after a year of Spanish...

I am trying to live for my kids. My wife and I are trying to avoid living for ourselves (we are both Gemini and this is difficult for us). There is balance somewhere, though much of the time it favors the kids to some extent. On a daily level, at least one of the kids seems to wind up satisfied.
  
Though I realize the realities of day to day living - I see awe and wonder in my kids and that keeps me pushing. They are mesmerized by the little things that they learn. It is their time and we work at creating that stable environment for them to do that learning confidently. We are fortunate (ear your peas, kids are starving somewhere...) to have this wiggle room or "space".

Realistically, we are finding that we have to push them a bit - to try new foods, to say hi to the kids at the park, to give a little offering at church - to think beyond themselves and their immediate circle. Surely they will find their way and ride the wave wherever it takes them and being inquisitive never hurt.