One of the things I treasure about loving someone is being able to look right into their eyes without feeling weird. Think about it: how many people can you gaze at without having to look away in embarrassment? Probably not many.
But children are great at this. They don't mind staring at perfect strangers. They'll look you right in the eye and pick their noses without shame. They haven't learned to be self-conscious about the "right" amount of time to look at people.
When you fall in love with someone, you want to look at his face all day long. You notice his eyelashes and the way his eyes crinkle up when he laughs. You notice the flecks of gold in his eyes and how his dimples show. Good Golly, he's a gorgeous man and he's ALL MINE!
When you have babies you could stare at them for hours. Their perfection is astounding. We MADE this little bundle of heaven?? Just LOOK at that face! LOOK at those fingers and toes. That's the cutest bellybutton I've ever seen! It's like you want to drink in every detail and hold it in your mind forever.
But life has a way of getting busy. Sigh.
Before you know it, you're juggling ten things at once and talking on your cell phone. You're having quick conversations with your spouse about who needs to be where and when, and being interrupted constantly by the demands of parenting and other activities.
You just....forget. You forget to really look at each other.
And I've noticed that my preoccupation with other things affects my ability to focus on my kids. Oh, they babble on. and on. and on. until your eyes simply cross. You learn to say "Uh huh" without actually paying attention to what they are saying.
And you can go a whole day without really turning and looking right into their beautiful little faces.
Today's Small Thing is simple, really. It's just to make a point of truly looking at someone when they are talking to you. To get close enough to notice their eyes and their eyelashes and the charming way their mouth moves when they talk. Stop stirring the pot on the stove or picking up clutter or being entranced by the computer. Take a moment to physically turn and look and pay attention to someone you love.
It's a small, small thing. But what a gift it is.
POINTS: 30 for enjoying some eye-candy today. Aren't your loved ones beautiful?
