Tuesday, June 15, 2021

The (He)Art of Noticing

This past hot, sticky Sunday, my youngest granddaughter, my great niece (who is also my granddaughter's best friend), and my great nephew hung out at my house for a pool day. Towels and pool toys were gathered, sunscreen generously applied, and my husband ushered the three kiddos to the pool. I stayed behind a moment to clean up the strewn clothes, etc. when I noticed this on the window of the French doors leading out onto the patio:


Now honestly, my first thought was, "Ugh. That sunscreen is going to be a greasy mess to clean." But then I noticed the heart in the middle of the hand print, and I had to smile. 

My youngest granddaughter has a knack for unintentionally leaving behind hearts. For example, one day she dropped jelly on the floor while making a sandwich. I reached to clean it up and found this (It looks curiously like an elephant's head, too, don't you think?):

                                       

Another time when she was three, she was playing in potting soil as I repotted plants. When I finished my task, I started to sweep and found this:


She had no heart-shaped cookie cutters or stencils of any kind, and she was only three at the time, so her fine motor skills were not that sharp yet. She was just playing in the dirt and this happened. 

She has a knack for leaving behind heart-shaped messes. I find them a wonderful reminder of her visits and a source of awe. I am always left shaking my head and trying to figure out how she manages to leave behind so many hearts without any real awareness that she has done so. 

I also find these little heart-shaped mementos a great boost to my imagination. Ideas for fiction stories run rampant in my head for a while after finding them. 

By the way, in case you are wondering, the sunscreen handprint is still on my window. There will be time to wipe it away later. For now, it reminds me of the fun we had on Sunday and inspires creative thinking. Most of all, it encourages me to slow down and enjoy all of our moments together. Time speeds by much too quickly and my littles will only be small for a short while. 

There is plenty of time to clean. For now, I will enjoy the view.

Until next time,

Tracy

13 comments:

  1. What an amazing post, Tracy! That is just too sweet. You have the receipts, too. Those are real hearts; I'm so glad you stopped to snap the pictures. I do see the elephant head too. Love that you slow down to enjoy the moments and not wipe them away too soon.

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    1. When I was a young mother, I am not sure I would have seen past the mess as easily. As a grandparent, I worry less about the mess and more about the memories. It's amazing how my perspective has changed with time.

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  2. I love the photos. My mother in law told me she used to not wipe off the little fingerprints after all the grandsons left because it reminded her of their visit. She is very tidy and neat so it surprised me. I guess grandkids change their grandparents hearts :)

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    1. Grandkids have a way of doing that. My daughter is always saying, "Now when I was growing up, you..." to my husband and me.

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  3. I adore her heart-shaped messes. A mess becomes much sweeter to pick up after when it's made with love.

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  4. "Leaving behind heart-shaped messes" - magnificent! Thank you for the always-needed reminder to savor.

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  5. Ah, yes. Plenty of time to clean. That handprint is a little bit like a piece of art, just as those hearts are. Little messes but lovely in some way.

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  6. Tracy, I love how you are being present in these moments that never last. I love how you see the positive and find joy in what others would only consider a mess or a problem. I love how you write your Slices/Blog Posts in ways that just fill my heart with joy.

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    1. Thank you, Donnetta. "...being present in the these moments that never last." Those words are so true. The moments seem to pass so quickly. Blink an eye and they're gone...

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