Skip to main content

Curiosity

Children, by nature, are curious. Put them in a room in someone's house without their parents, and they'll check out the closets. Some of them will even look under the bed or in drawers (depending on whether or not they found the closet's contents amusing or entertaining).

What makes me smile is the different ways they'll check out the kitchen. Sometimes they'll simply shadow you and peek into every thing as you move about. Some will simply ask if you have certain things or what is kept in certain drawers. A few comfortable or brave ones will simply start opening every cabinet drawer and announce what is inside.

I have one drawer in my kitchen that elicits a "Wow!" or an "ooohhhh!" every time it is seen.


I don't know if it is the batteries, the different kinds of tape, or just the compilation of it all, but it always gets the same response. 

And inevitably, the door under the kitchen sink with my cleaning supplies will be closed the fastest.

It's the little things like this that makes having children around such a delight. It's neat to be reminded that the simplest of things elicit wonder and awe, and that curiosity is part an attempt to find familiarity in strange surroundings and part an attempt to express the creativity inside all of us. 

The adult in me sees this drawer as a necessity for emergencies and things gone awry. To a child it's a wonderland. May I embrace their amazement and joy over the simple things of life.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

things we do for love

Saturday we had a baby shower for Bobby's niece. As I was making the mints, Bobby asked what else was on the menu. After I recited off the litany of items, he responded with "No peanut butter?! This shower is for Hannah! What's she going to eat?" (Hannah has had stomach problems over the years and has been unable to tolerate many foods, but peanut butter has been her staple.) Despite my assurances that she would enjoy the foods we were having, he was adamant that I needed to make peanut butter & jelly sandwiches for the shower. Even though I protested that NOBODY took that to a shower, he persisted, and informed me I could make them dainty with my little cutter. And so I did. To my surprise all but 3 were eaten. Who'd a thunk it?

get your house in order

My grandmothers were very clean people. My mother thoroughly enjoys cleaning, though she doesn't quite hit the same level my grandmothers were on. I don't enjoy cleaning, but I do like things to be clean. I've almost given up on neatness. One thing that they all instilled in me is the crazy concept that your house must be in order before you go somewhere big - like a vacation or something. After all, you could die in a car crash or have to go to the hospital, and then people would go into your house and find it in a terrible mess. Who wants to be remembered by that? So up until this past year, I would sometimes be up almost all night not only trying to get things packed up, but also trying to totally clean house as well. Or should I say, make the house presentable? The Chinese had a horrible superstition that my mother and grandparents would have enjoyed. Spring Festival (the Chinese New Year based on the lunar calendar) required EVERYTHING to be cleaned top to

fun...funny houses

 We saw the above house in Pittsboro while on our way to the mountains. It was the strangest house I've ever seen. Evidently this isn't a modification, for Bobby remembers thinking it funny as a child. Evidently a governor lived here at one point. I think the sign said it's now a Masonic lodge. And if seeing one funny house wasn't enough, the latest issue of This Old House had a link to their website that had several galleries of funny (or strange houses). Here's my favorites from their collection:   Szymbark , Poland  This just makes me laugh, and I would love to visit this house in person. Created by a designer who wanted to demonstrate "wrong-doings against humanity".  Visitors have stood in line for as long as 6 hours to tour the house, and many come out feeling "sea-sick".     Kalambaka, Greece... This 1,000 foot cliff drop has housed monastaries since the 11th century. Six of them are open to the public, " assuming, of course, th