Progressive Ponderings: Teachable Moments
by Joe Mayer
Written June 1, Steamboat Springs, CO
The roar of the waterfall is deafening.
Luke's almost two. He's jumping. He's excited. He's animated. He's trying to shout his joy above the roar. It's infectious. Grandpa now sees more than "another waterfall!"
Morgan turned four in May. Our hike to the falls produced abundant "Look at these, grandma." "What's this flower? Grandpa." "Did you see that?" Flowers. Animals. Trees. Grasses. Shrubs. Sky. Wonderment to the young excitable, inquisitive mind. Nature jumped at me as never before. Viewing nature, experiencing it, enjoying it through the eyes of the innocent commits one again to protect nature's wonders.
We're in the Rockies. Their parents, Jen and Lee, are going to run a mountain marathon tomorrow. We're the lucky babysitters as they struggle the ups and downs of personal challenge.
Three-generation hikes through nature's mysteries are "teachable moments," Luke and Morgan experiencing some of them for the first time. The abundant stimulant awakened awe, excitement, and a tiny bit of fear. One could see their brains turning and absorbing in appreciation and respect. Morgan captured a caterpillar in order to "save" it.
Lee and Jen used nature as a learning tool. "Isn't this flower different?" "What's that animal?" "Can you count all those?" "What's the best thing about the hike?" Flora and fauna spurred parents' minds also. "Altitude" and "chrysalis" were added to Morgan's vocabulary. "Teachable moments" become "learnable moments" as generations share.
Grandma and grandpa observed, enjoyed, wondered at the magic of it all. The soul is refreshed with the mysteries of the Universe, the pathway to understanding how all Creation is a whole and we are but a part of it.
For today, we pause from the dire world condition and the fear that provokes weapons and militancy and nuclear arms; we pause from the dismantling of our legal system that protects human and civil rights and the environment; we pause from the destruction that is happening in our name. For today, we rest in the hope that comes from seeing another generation full of the wonder of this world, an abundant garden that heals and restores.
The precious future generations drive us on. We're on R & R, rest and re-creation. Isn't that what re-creation is supposed to do?
Progressive causes – true freedom, a just society, unspoiled nature, non-commercial goals and goods, peace and fairness as legacy – regain their importance and a recommitment through generational sharing.
Written June 1, Steamboat Springs, CO
The roar of the waterfall is deafening.
Luke's almost two. He's jumping. He's excited. He's animated. He's trying to shout his joy above the roar. It's infectious. Grandpa now sees more than "another waterfall!"
Morgan turned four in May. Our hike to the falls produced abundant "Look at these, grandma." "What's this flower? Grandpa." "Did you see that?" Flowers. Animals. Trees. Grasses. Shrubs. Sky. Wonderment to the young excitable, inquisitive mind. Nature jumped at me as never before. Viewing nature, experiencing it, enjoying it through the eyes of the innocent commits one again to protect nature's wonders.
We're in the Rockies. Their parents, Jen and Lee, are going to run a mountain marathon tomorrow. We're the lucky babysitters as they struggle the ups and downs of personal challenge.
Three-generation hikes through nature's mysteries are "teachable moments," Luke and Morgan experiencing some of them for the first time. The abundant stimulant awakened awe, excitement, and a tiny bit of fear. One could see their brains turning and absorbing in appreciation and respect. Morgan captured a caterpillar in order to "save" it.
Lee and Jen used nature as a learning tool. "Isn't this flower different?" "What's that animal?" "Can you count all those?" "What's the best thing about the hike?" Flora and fauna spurred parents' minds also. "Altitude" and "chrysalis" were added to Morgan's vocabulary. "Teachable moments" become "learnable moments" as generations share.
Grandma and grandpa observed, enjoyed, wondered at the magic of it all. The soul is refreshed with the mysteries of the Universe, the pathway to understanding how all Creation is a whole and we are but a part of it.
For today, we pause from the dire world condition and the fear that provokes weapons and militancy and nuclear arms; we pause from the dismantling of our legal system that protects human and civil rights and the environment; we pause from the destruction that is happening in our name. For today, we rest in the hope that comes from seeing another generation full of the wonder of this world, an abundant garden that heals and restores.
The precious future generations drive us on. We're on R & R, rest and re-creation. Isn't that what re-creation is supposed to do?
Progressive causes – true freedom, a just society, unspoiled nature, non-commercial goals and goods, peace and fairness as legacy – regain their importance and a recommitment through generational sharing.
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