Today I was reminiscing over some things my nephew said last Sunday as we were walking home from the Fairchild
Chocolate Festival. The whole walk, which according to mapmywalk.com was a little over a mile, he kept saying, “walking to your house is beautiful” and “this is so relaxing” and singing “it’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood”. It was so much fun to see my neighborhood through the eyes of a 5 year old and his 3 year old brother.
The talk may have been sugar induced or the chocolate may have released a whole bunch of feel-good-endorphins, but the boys took enormous amounts of pleasure in watching a squirrel race down a tree, grab an acorn, hold it in his two little paws and nibble away; pointing out royal poincianas which aren’t even in bloom yet; and looking for Peacocks, lizards, turtles and fish in the canals. It didn’t matter that the only animal we spotted that day was the squirrel. Just knowing that they may have spotted different wildlife kept them interested.
They never once complained about being tired, asked how much longer, or said they hated walking. This coming weekend, slow down, and enjoy your neighborhood. If you are stressed and having a hard time being positive, take your children with you. If you don’t have any, do what I did and borrow them from a family member or friend. I guarantee that seeing South Florida through the eyes of a child will bring you a new-found appreciation of the wonderful place that we are lucky enough to call home.