Chugging through life or zooming... which track are you on?

The Museum of Transportation is a fascinating place for children as well as adults. When I told Liam I was taking him to the big trains he did not want to go. He was anxious and afraid I was going to put him on a big train by himself. "I do not want to go. I'm afraid. Let's just go to the playground."

Life is all about perspective. How seldom we view life from our little ones' perspective. As adults, we have years of experience, larger vocabularies, and high expectations. In our efforts to teach our young ones, we sometimes forget they don't have our knowledge base and have to learn what we already know. It is our job to prepare them for what's ahead, but also to allow them to be free to explore and learn at their own pace, and to comfort them when they are ill at ease. This is the stage for building and developing trust, kindness, and confidence that they will take into the world.

Liam discovered we could actually ride the miniature train, but even better, we were allowed to climb steep steps and tour the inside of old trains. He was delighted "driving" me to the red, green, or blue playgrounds he likes to visit. He enjoyed playing with gauges, levers, knobs, switches, and steering wheels.

 He met a little buddy named Carter who was 12 days younger. These two little  guys were birds of a feather. They giggled, took turns, shared snacks, and laughed uproariously each time one of them shouted, "banana peel" (which they did a lot!) The two little monkeys tried to climb a tree!

Observing the innocence of these little boys made my heart swell with pride and thankfulness. Liam is bright, kind, caring, and friendly, and so was Carter. They became best buds.

Carter's mom, Lynn, and his grandma, Sandy, and I sat and watched these little guys who had no preconceived notions about one another, no biases, no prejudices, not an ounce of hatred in their little bodies. They could have been any color, any size, any religion or nationality...the only things that mattered was that they connected intellectually, emotionally and socially. They were both highly verbal, and over-active. They had a zest for learning and love of life. Their antics helped me forget the world situation for a while.

When it was time to leave, they joined hands and walked the path down to the lower level.
 WHY can we not live in peace in this world? Why is there such divisiveness? Why can't we find our common thread, seek our sameness, walk alongside one another, holding hands, uplifting each other?

Why aren't  we satisfied with having enough, instead of always wanting more-more-more? Why in our developed nation, where we have an abundance of everything... WHY are there hungry children, homeless people, aching hearts? We need more Carters and Liams.

 My neighbor and late friend Lisa once told me that generally speaking, people under age five and over age 65 do not care about the other person's race, religion, or creed. Folks in those age brackets seek their likenesses. Under fives haven't been influenced and indoctrinated with hate, etc. Those over 65 have lived long enough to know those things that divide us are less important than the things that unite us.

As the boys bid farewell, I smiled knowing that Carter and Liam WILL make a difference in this world. They will fight for social justice, set good examples, and be leaders. I taught PreK for almost 40 years, and I can see the goodness in these boys. I could always spot our future leaders.

May we all make a difference in someone's life today. Start with a smile, a kind word, a donation, a prayer or positive thoughts for those hurting and in need of a helping hand. What the world needs now is love. Seek peace.