Just for Dads - Days of Discovery |
The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes. Marcel Proust (1871-1922)
These are indeed the days of discovery. The days of new and exciting experiences, of new smells and flavours and textures. The days of new ideas and new adventures. It is a truly wonderful time to be alive. I consider myself a very fortunate man indeed.
I have come to realize that during much of my life I have been so busy rushing from one task to another, to accomplish this goal and the next, that I seemed to have missed the point of it all. I have forgotten what this life is truly about. That is the very first lesson that I have learned during these days of discovery. It seems that too often in our world it is the truly important things that we choose to overlook.
Throwing a brief passing glance at a beautiful bed of flowers can do nothing to enrich the soul or excite the mind. To stop however, to smell them and touch them, is an entirely different and much more fulfilling experience. To run your fingertips along the petals, to relish in each unique texture, to take in all of the rich colours; that is what the days of discovery are all about. Taking the time to re-examine the things that we take for granted, to look at the world around us through new eyes.
Before, I had looked at rather ordinary things in a rather ordinary and unremarkable way. My front lawn for example, was simply my front lawn. It made the house look nice and gave me something to do on sunny Sunday mornings. That was of course before I learned better.
I was taught that not only is it a lawn, it is also thousands and thousands of tiny individuals. Each one unique, each one worthy of being examined and touched and appreciated.
The day I learned that lesson I did not read it in a book or see it on the television. My instructor took me by the hand and we spent hours discovering each one of those tiny plants. It is, after all, the only true way to learn such a lesson.
The same teaching method has been used almost exclusively for all of my lessons. I do not receive a simple instruction or explanation, I am led by the hand to each new and exciting discovery.
Now, shiny new adventures await me around every corner, every day. My life, once full of hustle and bustle, has slowed enough for me to appreciate those adventures. To look at the world with my new found eyes and find wonder in the ordinary and pleasure in the mundane. I now take notice of every flower that blooms in our garden, and of every bird that chirps from a tree in our backyard. Not only do I now take notice of the birds, but I am also encouraged to say 'hello' to them, and when the time comes for them to fly away to sit in another tree, I am also encouraged to say 'bye-bye' to them.
My instructor, you see, is my son Aidan. While it may be true that his last birthday cake had but two candles on it, he has taken it upon himself to share with me his infinite wisdom on what are the truly important things in life. He has taught me that time spent on discovery, no matter how small or insignificant that discovery may be, is never time wasted.
I can only hope that the lessons I have to teach him, like tying his shoes and counting to ten, can in some small way repay him for the lessons he has taught me.
