Learning to Skip…Again

Yesterday as I was walking our dog, I walked down the sidewalk behind a Mom and her son who were on their way to school.  The mother was carrying her son’s backpack while the little boy alternately walked holding his mother’s hand and letting go to skip ahead or to walk along the curb like he was walking on a balance beam.  Joy filled both that moment and each of the little boy’s steps.  I watched with a smile on my face as I took in the scene and remembered when I walked down that same sidewalk with my son on the way to school.

I don’t skip much anymore.
At least that way.
But in thinking about that little boy on his way to school I realized that a part of life is about not forgetting how to skip.  If I no longer skip down sidewalks, I need to at least be sure my heart skips along when I hear a cardinal call from a tree or watch my puppy wrestle with a stick or watch a young boy dance his way to school with his mother.

Maybe as I grow older skipping has something to do with paying attention.
Paying attention to where I am:
And who is around me;
And the fullness and wonder of life in that very moment.

And, then, in whatever way I am able…
Saying Thank you.