Wonder Pet Epiphany

Last week, by some miracle, we arrived at Tennis lessons early. So the kids and I sat in the Racquet Club lounge watching TV. There were many kids milling around, doing their homework, waiting for lessons, eating vending machine food, and watching Nick Jr. The programming seemed a little young for the after-school set but like good media consumers, we were hypnotized quickly by the glossy glare. I was flipping through Western Interiors but slowly got pulled into the plot of the Wonder Pets. It's about three little critters; a duck, turtle and a Guinea Pig maybe? who have some adventures. I have years of PBS Kids and other examples of pedantic TV under my belt, but my children have moved on to more sarcastic and let's face it really funny shows (see Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends). So I wasn't that familiar with the Wonder Pets narrative. The caterpillar was freaking out because his friend was gone. Trapped! Now, obviously caterpillar's friend was in a chrysalis and it was up to the Wonder Pets to help him understand. It wasn't until the turtle, wearing a Superhero's cape, made some clever remark about metamorphosis that I looked up to share a knowing look with the kids, and realized all them had run off to their lesson and I was watching Nick Jr. alone. When I turned my attention back to the program, it was just in time to see Caterpillar's friend emerging as a beautiful butterfly. The rodent, wearing a cap and a yellow apron, gasped in wonder and said, "Isn't it amazing?" And I was like, "Yes! Yes, it is amazing!" It truly is a fascinating process. Almost as fascinating as the fact that my son, who at one point was nothing more than a zygote, was now working on his backhand! Life is amazing. And we all know that with varying degrees of consciousness. I go to church and I nod my head and I feel grateful. And I have studied years worth of Biology and felt appropriately intrigued. But how often do we sit, just sit, with what we know? How often do we take a moment to breathe deep and feel the awe? One of the most beautiful sights ever is to watch my children running. Just running and laughing. It's just a pure, physical act with no destination. And every moment, from the time they were a bump in my belly to the present, is contained in that simple, exuberant act. So today, while I'm hobbling around fussing with laundry and lunches and carpooling and Girl Scouts and cicadas and whatever else, I'm going to try to remember there are peonies exploding and kids laughing and butterflies emerging. Because it is amazing!
So thank you Wonder Pets. Thank you.