There’s a beveled glass window set high in the wall of the master bathroom. In the afternoons, the sun shines through it to make prisms of light on the tile floor. When my first grandson was very small, he saw them one day and exclaimed, “Rainbows!” His seeing them, his excitement, touched me. And then he became older, as did I, and we forgot about them.
Now my second grandson, not 2 yet, has seen them. “Bubbles,” he cried yesterday in a voice of wonder. He walked among them, putting his feet in each and every one, looking at me and smiling. I see them every day and never think to exclaim at their beauty. I don’t notice them. I don’t put my feet in them in delight–which is the wonderful thing about being around young children: their wonder at the world. It reminds me of the mantra I want to age by: make me sweet again, fragrant and fresh and wild and grateful for any small event……like my youngest grandson….
Another note: Headed west today to teach a writing class in Alpine, Texas . Passed through a lot of big country, little civilization, country that reminds you you are not the center of the universe, that you’d better work with the universe to survive. Neil Young sang as I drove….This old guitar is only mine for awhile…..
Karleen Koen — writing life 
Beautiful.
Beauty in the moment. Thank you–I’ll go and find some of my own ‘bubbles.’
Joy to you in the beauty of the wilderness.
Karleen-
I am with you, those little things that are still so beautiful when we remember to see them, have become invisible over time. So many things like that in our everyday lives. How wonderful my old dog is. So loyal and eager to please. The color of the sky and the coolness of water. Our invisible world right under our noses.
Unfortunately, there are other invisible things and they are not so beautiful. The famine in Africa and the cruelness of those who are blocking aide from reaching those poor suffering people in Somalia. Unimaginable tragedy. SIGH……..i wish such things could not exist. Let sweetness reign.
What a lovely reminder. I have children that young age and I get so caught up in parenting them that I forget to notice their wonder sometimes.
Really enjoying your class here in Alpine.