The innocence

I was sitting in a park today and soung absolutely nothing. No music and no phone and book. Just sitting in an old wooden bench while the afternoon slowly drifted away.

The park was not particularly beautiful. There were few tress and a walking oathm some work out swings and the occasional chirping of birds. Nothing extraordinary.

At least that is what I thought. Then I noticed the little girl. She could not have been more than five years old. She was standing in the middle patch of grass and staring very seriously at a butterfly.

She was not chasing it and was not trying to catch it. Just watching it. The butterfly would move a little and then she would move a little too. The butterfly would stop and she would stop too.

As if they were having a conversation that only they could understand. For nearly ten minutes that was all she did. And somehow it seems like theosy important thing in the world.

A few moments later the butterfly disappeared over the hedge. The girl stood for a second and then she waved goodbye. Actually waved. As though the butterfly had somewhere it had to be. As though it would appreciate the gesture.

I could not help but smile. Because somewhere along the way most of us stopped doing things like that. We stop waning goodbyes to the butterfly and stopped looking at clouds and seeing shapes and stopped collecting oddly shaped stones cause they were intresting and we stopped finding magics in ordinary things.

Children don't. That is what amazed me the most. The world has not convinced them to rush yet. They do not walk through life thinking about deadlines and bills and responsibilities and emails waiting to be answered.

They are completely present and entirely absorbed by whatever existed in front of them. A puddle can become an ocean and a stock can become a swords and a cardboard can become a castles and a butterfly can become a friend.

Later another child arraived at the playground. A boy carrying a bright red ball. Ekghinh minutes the boy and the girl were playing together mvi don't think they exchanged name and they asked each other where they lived.

They certainly did not discuss careers and politics and achievements and social status. One simply rolled the ball and other rolled it back. And somehow that was enough. They were friends...just like that.

I was there wondering why and when did friendships became so complicated. When we became afraid of being silly and when we stopped introducing ourselves so easily.

Children have a remarkable ability to trust joy while adults often demand explanations.

As the sun began to set tmher mother called her home vthe little girl stopped immediately and ran towards the gate and then she stopped and turned around and waved...not to anyone in particular. Just to the park and the swings and the trees and the afternoon itself.

The world will become a beautiful place when we allow yourself to be amazed by it.