Concerning An Egg

Well, friends, if you know me well, you probably don't consider me very crafty. Paper plates and googly eyes are about as crafty as I get. You probably don't consider me sporty either. Kickball and freeze tag are usually the limit of my ambition. One thing you may consider me is a bit silly, because I probably wouldn't enjoy spending 10-12 hours a day with preschoolers and toddlers if I didn't have a little silly in me... or a lot :)

I hope, though, that I am also imaginative. I know I was as a child and I know I was as a teenager, but I sincerely hope that adulthood hasn't beat the imagination out of me. Children can imagine such extraordinary things! It's amazing, the sorts of answers they can imagine for questions that are basic and boring for us. These imaginings are delightful to them and to us. So why do we let it slip away? The life experiences we have should feed our imagination, not drown it.

I went on Facebook the other day to see that one of my friends had posted a picture of an egg she had recently found in her garden while digging potatoes... they don't own any chickens and they were wondering what it could be. There were 19 comments under it from her friends with suggestions of snake, turtle, turkey, etc...

Do you see what I saw? Come on! An egg... with no nest, burrow or parent in sight... dug out of the ground. Did no one even have a passing thought of Dinosaur?!?!  

If we show our children that to be an adult you must be bland and boring, thinking of only what we can touch and see, how are we going to raise up and encourage the next generation of scientists, writers, and actors? What do children do if not mimic what they see around them? I strive every day to not only encourage the imaginings of the children around me, but also show them some of my own. Not only for them, but to keep things fresh and new and amazing for me as well.

How about you?