The Moon at Noon
I was strolling around the flea market with my 3-1/2 year old nephew. He was a bit bored with the stalls and mingling people, but not so bored with his own world. I noticed that he had stopped and was staring intently at the ground, both hands on his knees. I went over to see what he was looking at, but said nothing. He was staring at the well-worn path under foot. There were some small stones ... but nothing special. Finally, he said, "Look. A worm." I looked again more closely but could see no worm. I looked harder.
"Where?" I said. He pointed to a thin earthworm, about 2 inches long, with dirt and small stones stuck to it. It was barely visible. He continued to watch and watch and watch. It wiggled slightly but did not seem to be going anywhere in particular.
I thought how strange it was that I would never have noticed this small earthworm without my nephew's interest in it. It is still of no consequence in the grand scheme of my world, but how much do I miss in the course of a day, because I have not bothered to pay attention?
Later as we went to lunch, I happened to be walking along side of him on the way into the restaurant. Casually, he pointed to the sky and said, "Look. The moon." I continued to walk to the door, but then stopped myself. What did he say? The moon? But it's noon! So I looked in the direction that he had pointed. Sure enough. It was the moon ... at noon.
How much do I miss? I went to the flea market to shop for a deal. I went to the restaurant to buy some lunch. My nephew was there to discover insignificant earth crawlers and unexpected signs in the sky.
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