A few days ago, as Dorc and I were walking out of Rite Aid in Elk Grove, I saw one of the most beautiful sunsets I’d seen in a long time. The sky was splashed in purple and magenta, with orange tones closer to the horizon. When I lived in Sac, there were many evenings where I’d grab my camera to photograph either a dramatic sunset after a storm, or the massive flock of birds that danced nightly above an open field nearby. No matter how many times I saw the sky or the birds, they continued to amaze me.

Now that Miles is with us, and as he’s becoming more and more fascinated by things around him (namely lights right now), I wonder what will capture his interest as he grows older. I look forward to witnessing his child-like wonder and reliving that sense of amazement that often gets suppressed as an adult. Will he delight in the first signs of life growing out of the ground at the start of spring or have his breath taken away every time Mt. Rainier shows itself? Will he gather autumn leaves and preserve their color by pressing them between the pages of books? Will he lie on the grass and point out animals and objects in the clouds? I don’t want to direct his interests, but I hope that he’s not so engrossed in the latest tech toy that he overlooks the simple beauties of the earth.
Conservationist Rachel Carson wrote:

“A child’s world is fresh and new and beautiful, full of wonder and excitement. It is our misfortune that for most of us that cleareyed vision, that true instinct for what is beautiful and awe inspiring, is dimmed and even lost before we reach adulthood. If I had influence with the good fairy who is supposed to preside over the christening of all children I should ask that her gift to each child in the world be a sense of wonder so indestructible that it would last throughout life, as an underfailing antidote against the boredom and disenchantments of later years, the sterile preoccupation with things that are artificial, the alienation from the sources of our strength.

What is the value of preserving and strengthening the sense of awe and wonder, this recognition of something beyond the boundaries of human existence? Is the exploration of the natural world just a pleasant way to pass the golden hours of childhood or is there something deeper? …

Those who dwell, as scientists or laymen, among the beauties and mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary of life. … Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is symbolic as well as actual beauty in the migration of the birds, the ebb and flow of the tides, the folded bud ready for the spring. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature – the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after the winter.”

As another year begins (as of 32 minutes ago!) and another cycle of seasons continues, I’m excited to see what 2012 holds. More so, I look forward to experiencing a new year with Miles and seeing the world through his eyes.

Happy new year, friends!