Slow it down, take time to reflect

Driving down the highway, headed to our next appointment in a city a couple hours away from home, an interesting sight revealed itself. The words “would you look at that” emanated from the back seat, catching my and my wife’s attention. As we turned our heads to look, Lilli described that she couldn’t believe how many birds she was seeing just hanging out and flying around. As the flock caught my eye, I noticed a great number of winter geese, some bedded down in a field, and some in flight overhead.

As we sped by, the geese left our sight as soon as they had entered. Although menial to some, the opportunity to see the fowl provided our family with the opportunity to find a little enjoyment out of a rather monotonous journey. As we completed our business and headed back home, later that afternoon, the geese again entered our view. As the family began looking in awe at the creatures the excitement fueled conversation began between the girls and their mother. Feeling that we had been faced with not one but two opportunities to expand the girls knowledge, I quickly decided to pull our vehicle over to the emergency shoulder so the girls could not only see the birds better but likewise hear them.

As we sat, the girls discussed the beauty of the flock as their mother described the sounds, they were hearing was the birds communicating with each other. I watched as the girls each lifted their cameras and began taking pictures of the wondrous sight. Chattering about the differences, commonality, and pure enormity of the flock was only overshadowed by the intermittent giggles about the manner by which one bird would interact with the others.

After about twenty minutes, discussion waning, and pictures taken, we pulled back into the lane of traffic and headed homeward. Although miles away from the muddied flock of geese, their memories remined vivid in the girls’ minds as they continued talking about what they saw. As we arrived home, my wife turned to me and relayed that she felt we had a good day and the trip was enjoyable. I couldn’t help but think about what a great opportunity we had to strengthen the bonds of our family while taking a few minutes to stop and learn.

The small act of pulling over to the side of the road so the girls could truly experience the huge flock caused us to be behind schedule, but in the full scope of things that had no bearing. So many times we get so caught up in the day-to-day happenings that we fail to take the time necessary to experience life alongside our loved ones. Slow it down a bit my friends. When the opportunities to broaden our children’s experiences and knowledge reveals itself, jump right in and guide them through new adventures into a life of true learning. They are worth it.

Richard J. Stephens lives in Carter County and is the father of three little ladies ranging in age from nine to 29.