Banana Smoothie

We stood at the counter, Dawn, our six-year-old daughter Lauren, and me.

And from Lauren's tiny mouth come these words, "I'll have a banana smoothie, please."

She had read this $2.50 line-item from 20' away and ordered it herself.

My, oh my, how times change.  A year ago, she could read one and two-syllable words.  Two years ago, at age four, I think she 'recognized' words, but I don't recall her reading many sentences.  But here we are, May 2009 at the age of six, and she's reading chapter books, street signs, movie titles, Viagra commercials, Disney Channel barrages... she can, in short, read just about anything.  Words like 'catastrophe' throw her, but with these wily exceptions, she can pronounce most everything.

Like soft mid-sections and wiggly skin, I know that, as adults, undesirable things creep up on us.  But the year the world begins to reveal itself to a child like a blossoming flower in Spring is a welcome year indeed.

Life itself is like this, I believe.  We are born into utter darkness, ignorant of all.  And year by year, bit by bit, our eyes open.  They open to the good, the bad, the indifferent -- but they open.  And over time, we assert ourselves (or fail to) and become a person with proclivities, opinions, preferences, and biases.

What an amazing thing, life. 

Relish it.

And every now and again, stop and smell the flowers -- indulging and appreciating the awesomeness of simplicity.

After all, there's more to saying, "I'll have a banana smoothie, please" than meets the eye.