Child's Play

1. Grammar hard at 12:20am.
2. Don't fall out of folding chairs.
3. Don't procrastinate... it's not too fun.
4. Be in awe.

For the past week Friday mornings, I have been volunteering at a daycare. I was assigned to the toddler room and at first, I was slightly concerned that I would be working with 15 toddlers. I had never worked with a group of kids that age in a controlled environment. But, I went for it, and boy, was I in for something great.

I think I have read the same children's book about 25 times in the past three weeks. It's the same one: Dinosaur Roar! It pretty much goes like this, "Dinosaur roar, dinosaur squeak. Dinosaur fat, dinosaur skinny. Dinosaur clean, dinosaur slimy." It continues on like this for a few pages more. It really has no point, but the pictures are fairly colorful and it's cute to see the kids roar whenever it comes up. At first, I thought it was cute.

But then I read it 6 times in a row and it got fairly old. The same thing happened the next week, and then again the next time I came. Always the same book and always the same reactions from the kids. Just as I was about to chuck the book across the room, I thought, "Why can't you be like the kids and read the book like it is the first time?" It seemed that every time I read the book again to them, they got something else out of it. They look at the pictures and try to find something new or they point out something familiar. They are excited to show me the little bird in the corner of the page they found the first few times the book was read. They are in constant awe of the book.

And it isn't just the books they come at with new eyes every time. A man and his dog always pass by the window every time I am there. And every time, the kids run to the window and wave to the dog. The man and his dog haven't changed since the last time they saw them, but they still have the same reaction: one of wonder and awe.

Children follow by example and they imitate nearly everything they see. So why don't we reverse what happens and imitate them? Children are happy and don't worry about much. They see the world through different eyes; everything is something to explore and something to learn from. Everything is awe-inspiring.

So, why not have child's play? It seems to work for them. So why not us?

Peace!

-Nicole

For Good

1. Not having class until 1:20 is pretty awesome.
2. Wear a jacket, even if you think you'll be warm enough.
3.  Libraries are not such productive places when you are on FB.
4. I have been changed for good.


"Who can say if I've been changed for the better? / But because I knew you / I have been changed for good." - For Good from Wicked

It's been three weeks since I started classes. Three weeks. I don't even know what to think about it. Three weeks ago, I went to class and had my first class of college. Three weeks ago, I met my 'twin' and became closer to everyone around me. Two weeks ago I met someone who changed my life for good. I have had classes already cancelled, started to learn to play guitar, impromptu concerts held in my dorm room, spent too many nights staying up late, and have grown so much in who I am.

Life is a game of imitation. When we are little, we copy our parents and siblings. When we are older and growing into our teen years, we idolize celebrities and mimic what they are doing. When we start middle school and high school, we will do anything to get attention, so we start to 'follow the crowd'. Most of this is not intentional; it is just how we function as humans. We are still individuals; we were born who we are. But we aren't a hard, glazed pot. We are soft clay and different textures, colors, and shapes are put into us; finger prints are left. Life is process, not point A and point B.

We also start to learn little quirks from others around us. Take swearing for an extreme example. When we are thrown into a group that is using profanity left and right, we tend to start to pick up on that habit. It's the same with pretty much everything else. I have begun to notice my new friends' sayings pop up in conversations I have with others. I am noticing some of my mannerisms are a carbon copy of my friends'. And it is happening the other way around too. My little quirks are appearing in my friends and my random saying are becoming a part of the vernacular.

I am not a different person from when I moved into college; I just have a few more colors on my 'vase of life' and a few more finger prints have been created.

And it has only been three weeks. What is my vase going to look like once I am three months, one year, three years into college? I guess we will just have to wait and see.

Peace!

-Nicole