A few months ago, walking to one of the nearby L stations would have taken five minutes, top. A trip to the library, maybe fifteen. Now these trips take a lot longer.

Jude used to ride on my belly or my back in our Ergo Baby Carrier. Now, most of the time, he prefers to walk. This new bit of independence has done more than drive me batty (because, honestly, walking to the L should not take as long as it does some days); it has left me utterly speechless.

Have you ever seen the world through the eyes of a toddler? I have, and those eyes see everything: There’s a squirrel, and another and another. Now they’re chasing each other. What do you think they’re doing? Looking for something to eat? Look! There’s a bunch of birds. And yes, there’s a leaf and there’s a leaf, and well, Jude-there are lots of leaves on the ground. Ahhh! a stick! Right! We can pretend to play the drums using large twigs as drums sticks. And then there are rocks… there are lots of rocks on the ground. Flowers, they smell good, and green leafy plants? Right, might as well smell them too. And, “Mama! Cars! Cars! Cars!” Oh yes, that’s a man, uh huh, and a baby, and right, a girl. And there are some more rocks. Oh! A dog. TWO dogs! Wow! There’s a door and a window and yes, Jude, the bricks feel rough. Trees! Yes, I see the trees! Uh huh, there’s an airplane in the sky, and yes, Monkey, I see the cars.

This happens day after day, walk after walk. And, you might not believe me, but I find Jude’s exploration and his commentary exhilarating! Before these shared walks, I hadn’t “stopped to smell the roses.” Ever. I didn’t notice the antics of the neighborhood squirrels or birds, and I paid no attention to the butterflies. Now when we walk, well, I allow a lot more time for each errand–that’s a given, but I also slow down. Jude and I have long, thoughtful conversations. He and I… we enjoy living.