Through the Eyes of a Child

In The Alchemist, Paul Coehlo wrote, “The simple things are also the most extraordinary things, and only the wise can see them.” These are sage and thought-provoking words. Two winters ago, my son taught me that the young and innocent can also see the extraordinary in the everyday. It is a lesson I hope I never forget.

We were living in Washington, D.C. and Lucas, then four, was attending a pre-school in Bethesda, Maryland. With the car being serviced, we had to ride the Metro to school. Thus began a grand adventure.

The first leg of our journey started with the shuttle bus at our condo building, which would take us to the Tenleytown Metro Station. Lucas climbed up the bus steps and looked around the way a grown man might look at the inside of a rocket ship. There were several rows of seats, big windows, and even a TV for the passengers’ enjoyment. The ten-minute drive to the station was one excited, “Look, Dada!” after another, as Lucas pointed out trees, stores, and familiar landmarks.

Along the adventure.

Next up was the elevator to the station platform. Lucas had a front-seat view inside the elevator and, already an expert elevator button-pusher, he helpfully started our descent.

The elevator doors opened on a whole new world. Lucas’ eyes were as big as saucers as he took in the platform sandwiched between two train tracks.

As we arrived in the middle of the platform, a light in the tunnel suddenly appeared! Lucas nearly jumped out of his stroller to point at the incoming train, which arrived at blazing speed and then rapidly slowed to a stop. The long train stretched from one side of the station to the other!

Then, all at once, the train doors opened. Only, they didn’t open like any door Lucas had ever seen. One side of the door went left, and the other side went right. Lucas observantly pointed out that it’s a good thing we got on before they closed because, after the bell rang, they shut pretty darn fast.

I took my boy out of the stroller and sat him next to a window so he could see both sides of the tunnel as the train began to move forward. A huge smile came to his face. In a matter of seconds, the station was behind us and the lights in the tunnel flashed by. Man, we were moving! “This is cool, Dada!” he said.

The adventure continued with another elevator ride and a cold three-block walk to the school. Lucas was a celebrity at school that morning. He had just ridden the “underground choo-choo” and his teachers and classmates were duly impressed.

By giving us an appreciation for the simple things, children help us see our world with more clarity.

During the walk back to the Metro station, it dawned on me that I had just been taught a sweet and valuable lesson. The wonder with which my son had taken in what most adults would see as an unremarkable commute opened my eyes.

Part of Lucas’ joy, of course, was innocence. He had never experienced a shuttle bus ride, an elevator that descended so deep, or a Metro ride. But beyond the novelty, he appreciated every aspect of the trip and took joy in everyday normal things. There is a wonderful lesson here.

Through the eyes of a child, there are indeed wonders everywhere. Trees and buildings are viewed as natural and technological amazements, and routine commutes as grand adventures. With our busy lives and daily responsibilities, adults can forget this. Here I was living in one of the world’s most beautiful cities and it took a four-year-old to remind me.

By giving us an appreciation for the simple things, children help us see our world with more clarity.

I now pause occasionally and make a conscious effort to look around. To appreciate the wonders around me and maybe, if only for a moment, recapture that beautiful innocence of childhood.

My son is right. Metro trains are pretty cool.