Need a spurt of inspiration or a simple reason to feel positive about the world? Spend time with a one year old baby. Even though I have taken up a few babysitting jobs during my odd history of employment, on the whole I haven’t had many opportunities throughout my life to spend time with young children. That all has begun to change since my nephew, the first baby in my immediate family, was born a year ago.
While I don’t get many chances to interact with him often, each of the 3 times I’ve seen him since he was born, I’m constantly reminded how quickly time passes, and how much change can happen in such a short period of time. At this point of my life in my late twenties, 12 months fly by and at times, it seems very little changes in that span of time. In a young baby’s time span, 12 months is a feat! I could hardly believe that my nephew went from being a helpless infant who slept 90% of the time to being a walking, giggling, curious explorer in just one year.
It’s refreshing and inspiring to be around someone like him, whose main ambition in life right now is to figure out the rest of the world. I found myself envying of his ability to find as much joy and wonderment in something plain and simple like a cardboard box as he does in something complex like a radio controlled toy. It was in that moment of envy that I realized this simple mindset wasn’t so out of reach–it’s just something that many adults need to consciously tune into.
It’s crazy to imagine how different he’ll be in another year’s time, but until then I look forward to spending as much time with him as I can.
