A lesson in patience and intentionality indeed. The juxtaposition of the grandmothers (likely) intention to enrich the little one vs. the reality of her impatience is not lost on me. As humans, we are truly confounding :)
I love the way way these words feel like a poem that helps me to see what you saw and hear what you heard. And I also love it because it tells a story that leaves me wanting to know more about the grandmother and the child and what they talked about after pausing for the child's snack.
I appreciated your recognition of the details that provided a contrast (like the plastic shoes, sunglasses, and backpack) to the scene unfolding before you in the Vermont woods. It reminded me of a scene I experienced on a Blue Ridge Parkway overlook last July while en route to the Cullowhee Conference. Soon after I parked my car, I noticed a raven less than a dozen feet away in the grass in foreground of a southerly view toward the mountains along the NC/SC Border. It was an exciting moment, the last time I'd seen a raven was more than 25 years ago and it was close to half a mile away. Shortly after seeing the raven, a lady drove up without leaving her car and she had her eyes focused on her text messages. So much for being in the moment.
A lesson in patience and intentionality indeed. The juxtaposition of the grandmothers (likely) intention to enrich the little one vs. the reality of her impatience is not lost on me. As humans, we are truly confounding :)
Lovely poem ... which broke my heart, a little.
I love the way way these words feel like a poem that helps me to see what you saw and hear what you heard. And I also love it because it tells a story that leaves me wanting to know more about the grandmother and the child and what they talked about after pausing for the child's snack.
Pamela Travers (Mary Poppins author) wrote something to the effect, "That is lost is waiting to be found."
I appreciated your recognition of the details that provided a contrast (like the plastic shoes, sunglasses, and backpack) to the scene unfolding before you in the Vermont woods. It reminded me of a scene I experienced on a Blue Ridge Parkway overlook last July while en route to the Cullowhee Conference. Soon after I parked my car, I noticed a raven less than a dozen feet away in the grass in foreground of a southerly view toward the mountains along the NC/SC Border. It was an exciting moment, the last time I'd seen a raven was more than 25 years ago and it was close to half a mile away. Shortly after seeing the raven, a lady drove up without leaving her car and she had her eyes focused on her text messages. So much for being in the moment.