Airplanes are really Incredible.
I was sitting at a Krispy Kreme donut store with my wife, mom and son today right near O’Hare airport as he joyfully watched the planes fly in one after another. When you sit right in the flight path around here, a new plane comes in about every minute or so. Where we were sitting, they were coming in really, really low. Since Cole is such a huge fan of airplanes, this was obviously an exciting time.
In the midst of this, my mom made the observation that “it’s amazing simple things can make a child so happy.”
My first thought in reply was, “Its amazing how simple things can make adults so unhappy.”
How true is this?
I often get jealous when I watch my child get so excited about things like airplanes flying overhead and “yummy” glazed donuts. Seeing such simple things he’ll let out a “yeeeeaahhhhh!”
Sometimes I wish I could go back to a life where donuts and low flying airplanes were as amazing they really are (I mean seriously, those huge things really fly. How the heck do they do that?! Think about it. It’s kinda freaky. And don’t get me started on those donuts…)
As life gets more and more complicated, the simple things (that are really NOT that simple and are actually incredible) are so easily overlooked. And the other simple things that annoy us each day (that are really not that big of a deal) so easily consume us.
Perhaps it would be healthy for us to take a look around at the things that we have declared, or allowed to become without even knowing it, “ordinary” and “mundane.” I think when we look at most of them, we will see beauty and hope and Christ a whole lot more and a whole lot clearer.
Kevin said...
111/29/05 5:36 AM | Comment Link |
You talk about donuts and airplanes as “simple” yet amazing and not so simple. How about this Todd. I had a pumkin/cheescake pie from Landis’ a few weeks ago. Genius! I know everybody has felt that tension “pumkin pie, or cheesecake” “pumkin pie, or cheesecake” Now you can have cheescake pumkin pie! I felt the same kind of excitment that Cole experienced watching the airplanes land.
Tim said...
211/29/05 2:06 PM | Comment Link |
Hey Todd - Acctually i was reading David Crowders new book Praise Habit where he discusses just this. How we have become so “civilized.” You should pick it up and read it some time. It’s cool how we can worship God if we just look at a krispy kreme donut and see the bigger picture.
Todd said...
311/29/05 7:05 PM | Comment Link |
Tim, thanks for stopping by! I like the idea of being too civilized. i think that insight from Crowder is pretty helpful. its nice to be blown away by something “simple” every day.