Just Looking Down

I think one of the very best things about being a Mom is being the recipient of the treasures my boys bring me. Usually they just give them to me, but sometimes I find them at the bottom of the washing machine on laundry day.

From the time they were very small and we took our walks with strollers, we looked for treasures. Living near a big park on a huge lake made treasure hunting even better. Driftwood, duck feathers, pinecones....I'd find these little things and hand them to the boys. We'd talk about where they came from, how they felt and looked...it was always such a treat. We also always took a plastic grocery sack with us and picked up trash that we'd find. Again, another learning experience. My boys would wonder why someone would leave their pop bottles and styrofoam worm cups behind when they left. I usually told them that maybe those people didn't have mommies and daddies who told them how bad pollution was for plants, animals and other living things.

Now that they are in school, it's no less thrilling for me to get their found treasures.

Almost everyday my younger son walks in the door and says "Guess what I found, Mom?!" It's anything from a shiny rock to a bluebird feather.

Today it was a hairband and a really cool leaf. He said "I found them just looking down again".

He got that phrase because my husbnad used to get frustrated on our walks because #2 was always lagging behind. When my husband would say "What's taking so long?" my son would say "I'm just looking down".

#2 always has to have a walking stick that quickly turns into a whacking stick. He's always finding things that no one else would see. He uses his walking/whacing stick to poke at interesting gunk and suspect piles of who knows what. I love that he finds bugs, beautiful spider webs, ant hills and rocks. Each one is a treasure that he has to share.



My Dad used to always tell me "Keep your head up when you walk, look proud". But I think #2 might have a better idea...