Fire hydrants and happiness
Sometimes, it’s the little things in life that bring great pleasure. This old, rusty fire hydrant is one of the last vestiges of the original landscape here. To my eyes, it’s just a rather ugly, large thing that spoils the view of the lake and needs to be repainted. In the little one’s eyes, however, it’s an amazing thing. Every time we walk past it, he emits a “WOW, mama” and has to run up to inspect it. He tries to turn all the nuts and has to feel all the different bumps, the smooth metal and the bumpy rusty spots. The chain around it offers much entertainment as well, with its clanking and texture unlike anything he has felt before.
I would never have really paid attention to this hydrant & certainly would never have thought it an object of interest without the little one. He has helped me to slow down and appreciate things I usually ignore or take for granted, as well as to realize that we don’t need big, fancy, expensive things to entertain us and give us happiness. Of course, this is easier to remember while strolling in the sunshine than when I’m wishing I had a maid for the millionth time, but it’s still a great lesson for me!
Children, be they feline or human, help adults to relive their childhoods again. The beauty of that power is that one not need be a parent to enjoy the fruits.
When our little guy was between 1-2, the firehydrants were his favorite. He’s moved on to trees now. He likes to stand directly under them and stare straight up them. And he likes when I hold him up and let him hang from the branches. It is amazing to see how many things kids seem to notice that we have learned to filter out.
That is a great picture. It made me just study him and try and figure out what he is thinking. So sweet!
Isn’t it funny what the little ones notice. My son hs always had the habt of noticing the tiniest things on the floor–even though the larger mes would go unnoticed. Once, when someone was visiting and lost a little diamond from her earring, he came running up showin it to me. It had fallen on the carpet and in his ongoin search for the tiny, he found it.
The world through a child’s eyes is magical. Don’t you wish we could somehow manage to keep that wonder, yet gain our wisdom?
I guess wisdom is gained through disappointment and pain–which naturally erode our wonder. It’s a tough trade-off, but a natural part of life. I guess that’s why we have children. To give us a glimpse of what we used to have and an appreciation for the innocence we forget.
Yes, it’s the simplest things that they love. Great photo! I really like how the b&w shows the vintage of the hydrant.
I remember it would be a rock or some weird looking stick they would find that would give them hours of fun and excitment and me and my husband would be like why doesn’t those expensive toys we just bought you work like that cheap rock you just found.
But I remember when we started seeing are kids noticing the world and everything around them with such amusment and it was so neat to see them latch on to things that we over look as common and ordinary stuff. Now my youngest is entering Kindergarten and I no longer will have a baby at home….
How beautiful. Thank you for this.
This is a great photo. What a handsome young man!
I really do not think that I could put my sentiments into words any better than Kukka-Maria did up there *points up* What’s the world coming to when a cat is better with words than a human? LOL I just know that it amazes me to watch my girls play. The simplest things make them happy; a spoon from the drawer to play in the dirt with, a wet washcloth to “clean” with (they say clean, I say destroy), and Oh the giddiness when they see an earthworm or a lady bug LOL! It is a wonder. I wish that we as adults could be awed by the simple things in life like our children are.
Kids are amazing!
lovely way u photographed them
reminds me of when Daniel came across the french door hooks on our doors
to me they simply keep the doors open to him they were a sourcve of great interest and continue to be so
One thing I like about little ones is that everything is new to them. We get to look through their eyes. It helps reawaken the wonder in the world that is there all the time, but we allow to be buried by habit.
The b&w is a nice touch. It helps touch our own memories of childhood.
No kidding. It’s so easy, as a “grown-up,” to get caught up in stuff – but little ones remind us that a wooden spoon and a pot are perfectly fine entertainment. Great perspective here….
I linked over from BooMama’s sight!
What a SWEET picture!!! I think we ALL could learn a lot about life when we take the time to look through the eyes of our children.
Aw, to see the world through the eyes of a child!! Thanks for sharing
What a sweet picture! The world is always more interesting when we look at it through the little one’s eyes.