Broken People

Snow is beginning to fall as I type this. Well, mostly sleet, but you can see a floating flake every now and again. For people in the Brazos Valley of Texas, this is huge. Just a few minutes ago, a bunch of us ran up to the front of the offices, gleefully hopeful to see the white stuff fall, all because of the shout, "It's SNOWING!"

I've been thinking a great deal about things from my childhood that brought me joy- things like the super rare snow day, or just snow in general. I get a glimpse of that with Leslie and Kenna, as their eyes grow wide, their smiles extra toothy, and the palpable excitement causes them to bounce on their toes. They get the same way about pizza, mac n' cheese, and Phineas & Ferb on the Disney Channel. And going to the park, riding scooters and bikes, seeing a cat. Oh, and if people visit, or they get a sucker, and occasionally when Kristin or I come in after being gone for a bit.

Kids still have the capacity to be excited and show it. Something happens to us, and we lose that. I heard some really great news the other day, and was very excited, but realized that my outward response was rather reserved. I was apparently afraid to "not look cool" and respond with unbridled joy. I think I smiled, nodded, and said something profound like, "That's cool." Kristin, however, grew wide eyed, developed a toothy grin, and bounced on her toes with excitement. I think I see where the kids get it.

We fail to feel or express excitement because we have become broken. We have seen our hopes dashed too often, had expectations fall short too frequently, and had the roof of reality crash down on our dreams. We don't expect the amazing, because we fear that it will never come- or worse yet, be less than we hoped.

I wish that we could engage life with that child-like wonder, free of the broken promises and broken hearts that come with years. Maybe we can still get that back--its not too late. We can choose to run and play in the snow, rather than gripe about the driving conditions (and drivers). We could look forward to the joy of opening presents on Christmas, rather than the stresses of the holidays. We should go play on a playground, or visit a toy store more often. If you have kids, try to learn from them about the joy of life and living. If you don't have kids, I know some people who would let you borrow theirs for practice for an evening. :)

We are broken, we need to be healed. Then, maybe we will look at life with wide eyes, toothy grins and bouncy toes.