What does it truly mean, as an adult, to be a child again? From my perspective, it is to touch upon an innocent frame of mind, an emotional state that is at once light-hearted, fun, and receptive to the beauty, the miracle around us. To lose that, as many adults do, seems sad and unnecessary. I personally strive to keep that flame alive within me, to experience it whenever I can, for without it I would not be able to survive in good health and spirits.
Rachel Carson expressed this idea elegantly in her book The Sense of Wonder:
“A child’s world is fresh and new and beautiful, full of wonder and excitement. It is our misfortune that for most of us that clear-eyed vision, that true instinct for what is beautiful and awe-inspiring, is dimmed and even lost before we reach adulthood. If I had influence with the good fairy who is supposed to preside over the christening of all children, I should ask that her gift to each child in the world be a sense of wonder so indestructible that it would last throughout life, as an unfailing antidote against the boredom and disenchantment of later years…the alienation from the sources of our strength.”Brother David Steindl-Rast, in his brilliant book A Listening Heart, had this to say:
Only our Inner Child can tingle with delight at simple pleasures like bare feet in wet grass, a slide into a swimming pool, or the smells of a picnic. We need to find that child hiding inside us, let it out, let it run without clothes, let it have fun … This child is within each of us and will indeed lead us, if we are willing to pay the price. That price is high: trust in life, come what may.”If childlike wonder does not remain a vital part of our maturity, then we may very well end up forever soured to a world that isn’t to our liking, with no antidote other than to rail against it all, or else retreat into ourselves, into dreamworlds of our own construction.
Even if our earth ship is sinking (due to climate change, rampant development, etc.), it remains imperative that we retain our ability to touch the miracle, and to smile, laugh, embrace, and love without judgement. Otherwise, we will not be able to live happily and react to life’s challenges with sanity and forethought.
In closing, I would like to share a poem by yours truly that intersects with this theme. Let me know what you think of it!
in a flash, before my eyes,
my life begun, my life gone by,
i ask myself … who am i?
and have I changed, since days of yon,
or do I sing the selfsame song,
of celebration, joy of heart,
instilled in me, right from the start?
for though my years roll quickly by
i’m still the little boy inside
who roamed the fields and woods back home
who danced to nature’s splendent poem
and as my life draws to an end
my listening heart returns again
to halcyon days, so safe and warm
when i was lost in nature’s charm
now once again, the burst of spring
now once again, the wild notes ring
i hear the dreaming of the toad
i watch the newborn spring explode
i smell the fragrant earthly bloom
i lay at peace within the womb
with ne’er a thought of leaving soon
Essay and Poem © Lang Elliott, 2016
(first drafts: Autumn 2014)
Lang, I am so glad to see you back here again! Although we’ve got a harsh cold snap coming to NE Ohio and lake effect snow on the way from a wide-open Lake Erie, the resident birds are all singing here in Cleveland. Even the first Grackle of the spring just showed up! Bird song in the snow is one of those miracles I will always cherish.
YEAH!! you’re back!!!
Well, I missed all your illness because I just learned about you from my mother (who suggested to me that a composer friend of ours–who has been ill a long time–would enjoy your site.) And now I’m going to tell him about it, and then go visit peepers and bloodroot and cedar waxwings and more. Congratulations on coming to better health. And to child sight! p. s. I’m a poet (and novelist) and feel quite sure that meter and rhyme are returning to us–they’ve been coming back for a while, though they may still seem hidden by the mass of… Read more »
Marly: It wouldn’t surprise me to see a revival of meter and rhyme in poetry. It’s not easy to work effectively with rhymes. I think I’m fairly good at it, but I may be mistaken. My style of writing poetry is quite simple indeed, and I mainly focus on the sound of it, how it sounds when I speak it out loud. What kind of poetry do you write?
Your poem is a snapshot of how I was as a child growing up on a small farm on the Mississippi River in Northern Minnesota. Now, I am a retired teacher(Preschool)who tried to encourage the wonder wherever I taught. My favorite Rachel Carlson quote is “If a child is to keep his inborn sense of wonder..he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it,rediscovering with him the joy, the excitement,and the mystery of the world we live in.” from Sense of Wonder 1965
I am so in love with that book, which, incidentally, was published posthumously.
Hey Lang! So wonderful to see that you are back blogging and feeling better. It is wonderful to hear that you are cancer free.
Hints of spring have appeared around here too, but will be covered in snow by this time tomorrow.
Looking forward to more posts and rhymes — love those rhymes.
Wil … so much will be stirring under the snow, ready to burst forth in full glory when the weather is right. Around here, Jefferson Salamanders actually may migrate over snow patches in hopes of finding open water at their breeding pools. When that happens, I’ll feature video I put together over a year ago that celebrates that extraordinary event.
Lang,
I had no idea! But am so so glad to hear that you are on the road to recovery and feel your inner child. That truly is where the sense of wonder resides. Your poem – outstanding and touching – a joy. We’re enjoying a blizzard of sorts now. Hope you’ll be back to Hog Island. Juanita
So good to hear from you Juanita. I very much look forward to my next visit to Hog Island … probably not this coming summer, but maybe the following year. Give my best to all!
Will do. and will continue to enjoy your posts and blog. Keep amazing us! juanita
Lang… great to hear you’ve survived and returned with a vengance!
Thought of you while watching a juvie Sharpie nail then devour a house sparrow in my backyard (not that I’ve ever seen you do that trick). Keep up the entries,
you have a fan base in my neighborhood of “young folks” and their kids who love the critter pics and vocs.
You’ve got a place to stay in DC whenever needed.
Hi there Glenn! It’s possible I’ll be down your way in early April. I’m hoping to head down to Prince William Forest Park (more particularly, the Merrimac Farm WMA), to videotape Virginia Bluebells carpeting a bottomland forest. I’ll be on my way to the Smoky Mountains. If that happens, I’ll get in touch and hopefully we can visit with one another.
overjoyed to see your fluttery face again, and to read your words. congratulations on being able to send your words to us, who missed you terribly. best to you!
:>)
I missed your wonderful blogs, with the sounds and sights of nature. Thanks for letting us know why you disappeared from sight (but not mind) for awhile. Glad to know your health is returning. I love the poem!
Glad to know you are on the mend, and sharing your wisdom again. Over the last several months I’ve been thinking a lot about seeing the world as children do, as if seeing something for the first time – the wonder, the curiosity, the amazement. It can often get lost in the day-to-day sameness of adult living, and it’s good to remember how amazing our world is. Welcome back.
I truly look forward to blogging again, especially once spring takes hold.
Mr. Elliott,
This morning I was sitting on my lanai on the Big Island checking emails but really watching wild turkeys wander through my garden as well as listening to and watching my morning visitor (a northern cardinal) when your email re-appeared. I had stumbled (happily) across your post last year and was disappointed to have it stop, now I know why and I am thrilled that you are cancer free and doing well. Loved your poem and look forward to many more.
Best wishes and Aloha
Jane
Thank you Jane!
Hi Lang, I thought of you twice this week. Once when I glanced at my bookmark for Miracle of Nature; and again Sunday Morning when a fox ran across the road as we were going to church. If I had been paying more attention to the website I would have know something was wrong. I certainly hope your recovery continues to be positive. Here in Missouri we had our first snow drop appear. The daffodils are pushing up and one group has flower buds. However today’s blustery cold wind may curtail the growth. Had to bring in one bird feeder… Read more »
Gary: Where are you in Missouri?
I love the poem!!
Rhyming Rocks!!
as a true believer in DR Suess
I find Rhymes very soothing.
Yes “in the eyes (and ears) of a child” is the best way to live!!
I heard a cardinal sing and I wanted to skip and do somersaults!
Be well, thanks for sharing your sense of wonder:)
Thanks Beth! I too heard a cardinal singing today, here in downtown Ithaca. So I skipped then tripped and almost flipped!
Lang, it’s so good to read your work again. I had no idea you were ailing and am glad that you are improving. You have been such an inspiration to me since my early birding days, and your personal growth and expression have inspired me many times. It was a great highlight for me when, years ago, you and I met in Ithaca thanks to our friends at Finger Lakes Productions. I think of you every time I bird (or frog?) by ear. Know you have made a positive impact on the world, and I am most grateful. Every good… Read more »
Hi there Marilyn! And where are you these days?
Still doing classical radio in Washington DC. Please let me know if you are in the area! Even in my current urban setting, it’s clear that all the living things are in springtime mode; the starlings are hilarious, as always.
Marilyn: it’s possible I’ll be down your way this spring, on my way to points further south.
A welcome voice to rejoin the choir. Glad you’re back.
Thank you Jason!
I sure am thankful to hear that you are doing well. I have heard the Peepers twice already but snow flies today and my Hermit Thrush is entertaining me eating meal worms. I also am enjoying a quick and perky Winter Wren along with 18 wild turkeys with a gobbler ready to begin strutting. Come to the Smokies when you can. Really enjoy your posts.
Hi there Ken! I have a rough plan to be in the Smoky Mountains in mid-April, to videotape wildflowers. Maybe we can get together then? I just checked out your website, kenjenkins.com … VERY NICE!
getting prepared to help with a nature outing for blind students (K-12). Any ideas/sources of sounds? I’m thinking of, maybe, bird sounds in groupings like: alarm calls, making calls, territorial calls….
I’d like to find something that’s somewhat put-together already, rather than hunt down all the sounds and stitch them together myself. Any ideas/links?
thanks
kwren@widomaker.com
Do you own an iPhone or iPad? If you do, you can purchase (for 10 bucks) our BirdTunes App, and then access the birds you want and play the various songs and calls in their repertoire: http://birdtunesapp.com
The same sound collection is also accessible via various other birding apps, including the iBird apps, the Sibley app, and the currently free National Audubon birding app.
I love that poem!
Thanks Chris. I like it too, and was rather surprised by it. When I began writing it, I didn’t know what was going to come out. Because I am mostly a rhyming poet, I have to search for rhyming words. As a result, phrases often take shape that are a complete surprise to me, but that seem to capture something essential. So, for me, rhyming is a creative aid rather than a hindrance. These days, rhyming poetry is out of vogue, but I really don’t care about that. I am called to rhyme, for better or for worse: Poetic Harmony… Read more »
Lang, welcome back. After a recent heavy rain, I took a ride down my favourite back road. I heard the choir of spring peepers and thought of you. Im thankful to my higher power that you made it through your cancer. For as another spring approches, you have become a part of my spring, as much as the fireflies, Kaydids, sounds and smells of another spring. The kid in me is still very much alive and you have helped to keep that alive in me. Your friend in Florida.
Steven J. Marshall
Lochloosa Florida
Steven: Thank you for your kind words. It’s great you’re hearing spring peepers … it’s difficult to predict when they’ll erupt here, but I fully expect to hear them singing within the next month or so (especially considering how mild our winter has been so far).
Thrilled that you are recovering and are back blogging. I thought of you yesterday when we heard New Jersey chorus frogs singing like crazy on a mid-winter day. Here’s to all the goodness that life brings!
Fran: How lucky you are to be hearing chorus frogs. We had a warm spell in early December that brought out some Spring Peepers, but no peeps since then. Given how warm this winter has been, I fully expect to hear some peeps (and maybe cackles of Wood Frogs) by the end of the month … or else nature will fool us all with a wicked cold Feb and March, holding the frogs back until April. It could go either way, I suppose, given how fickle the weather is these days.
I was just in Cape Cod during a snow storm. My husband, sister and I were running on the beach during a blizzard! It was wonderful! So glad your back!
I’m jealous … running on the beach during a blizzard sounds wonderful. Were you guys nude? :>)
Yes the Spring Peepers were singing in Columbus, Kansas. I love frogs, birds and the beauty of nature! I am thankful to have found you wonderful site 🙂
Love the poem! Thank you for spreading joy!
Your poem selections and your own poem are very enjoyable and comforting. Thank you for sharing with all of us. So glad that you are back with a positive attitude, and look forward to your work and words. Linda and I dealt with our own cancers in 2012 and know what it is to have a world changed by that disease. Keep up the good work and smile often. David Marsh
P.S. Headed back to Hog Island in September where I last saw you.