The Original Exploration We ALL Took: The Body!
One reason we travel is the thrill of seeing something we never thought imaginable. An elephant on a highway in India! A child balancing a hulking computer on his head in Ghana! Eating a giant fried spider in China! But chasing and seeing these foreign sights is so exhilarating, sometimes we forget the original exploration we all undertook: our own bodies.
As you see from the photo above, my sweet two month old baby has been obsessively investigating his left fist... for weeks. Not his right fist, nor his foot, nor his elbow, mind you, but his left fist only. It's the most amazing thing ever to him!
He's not quite sure...
Is this thing his?
Can he control it?
Is it dangerous?
Does it dispense luscious milk? (He does sometimes try to shove the whole fist into his mouth.)
Where did it come from???
Why is it always there?
The investigation continues...
Babies give us such a gift when they compel us to remember the intoxication of our original discoveries.
Think for a moment, back to when you didn't know your hand was your hand.
We take so much for granted now because we've forgotten this. We rabidly search the far corners of the world for new discoveries, when there are so many right in front of us!
Take thirty seconds now and look at YOUR left fist. Explore it with the same wonder you would explore the ancient Mayan ruins of steamy Belize. And realize: Aren't you awesome????
The author, Lillie Marshall, is a 6-foot-tall National Board Certified Teacher of English, fitness fan, and mother of two who has been a public school educator since 2003. She launched Around the World “L” Travel and Life Blog in 2009, and over 4.2 million readers have now visited this site. Lillie also runs TeachingTraveling.com and DrawingsOf.com. Subscribe to her monthly newsletter, and follow @WorldLillie on social media!
Oh wow - absolutely gorgeous! I love the first mirror shot - such a wake up call to appreciate everything that's right around us. Lovely.
Thanks so much, Abi!
Love the baby-in-the-mirror fist bump!
Hands down, the best metaphor for discovery. Teaching little ones can be so fun for this reason - you can almost see the lightbulb in their heads go off, so I'm sure watching your own baby is just as much of a treat!
Enjoying the baby chronicles. Can't wait for the next installment. Keep them coming.
Oh, don't worry-- I will! :)
Adorable!
It's so true! I know I'm guilty of overlooking the little things and forgetting to appreciate the beauty and wonder that is on my doorstep. Also, he is adorable!
What a cutie! It is so amazing watching babies discover their different body parts. So adorable. Thanks for sharing.
So cute!!
He looks like he's trying to take off like Superman in the last one. And what's also weird about ourselves is that we've never seen our real reflection in a mirror. It's reversed. So even when we examine ourselves, disasters can sometimes ensue.
Haha! Yes!
For a moment I thought that you had had a second baby, sort of twin-ish :).
He's adorable!!
Thanks! Yeah-- Being a mother to one is giving me HUGE new respect for parents of twins!
I swear he gets more gorgeous by the second!!! GIve him a big squeeze from his "Auntie" Elle in Spain xxx
Awww thanks! He's EVEN CUTER when he smiles, but all the fist examination photos feature a very serious expression because he is very serious about that fist! :)