As a Child

I nearly cried at the start of Seussical the Musical today. Not because it was sad (it wasn't). Not because parts of this presentation of it were surprisingly adult for a children's audience (they were).

I teared up because of the collective gasp of awe and delight emitted by the scores of small children in the theater as the curtain rose. It was a lot like the children who first watched Peter Pan in "Finding Neverland." Oh, to see life through the eyes of a child like that! How many joys do I miss because of cynicism? How many delights do I only half enjoy because I'm spending so much energy acting mature?

I want to remember that thrilled gasp when I'm overseas. It may have been Lisa  A. who once told me that you can bridge cultures easier if you do retain the delight of a child. It makes sense. Instead of expecting to be jarred by every new thing, I want to examine it with curiosity and delight. Of course there will be ugly and displeasing things, but I don't need to walk into the experience intending to judge, but to learn and explore.