"(The twins') enthusiasm for the world astounds. Everything warrants investigation: spiderwebs, thornbushes, potato bugs. They crouch in our driveway, poking strips of sun-softened tar with their fingers.
""Boys," I say, "let's go. I've told you three times." I stand over them, clap my hands. "You guys need to learn how to pay attention."
"They don't even bother to look up. Usually I would grab them, wrestle them into the car. But today I pause. Whoever says adults are better than children at paying attention is wrong; we adults are to busy filtering out the world, hurrying to some appointment or another, paying no attention. Our kids are the ones discovering new continents all day long. Sometimes, looking at them, I feel as if (they) live permanently in that resplendent state of awareness that grown-ups reach only when our cars are sliding on ice through a red light, or our airplane is thudding through turbulence."
Anthony Doerr - from the compilation "The Book of Dads" (thanks Shea & George!)
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T
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