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!
Abi
Thursday 20th of February 2014
Oh wow - absolutely gorgeous! I love the first mirror shot - such a wake up call to appreciate everything that's right around us. Lovely.
Lillie
Thursday 20th of February 2014
Thanks so much, Abi!
Terry at Overnight New York
Friday 14th of February 2014
Love the baby-in-the-mirror fist bump!
Cat of Sunshine and Siestas
Wednesday 12th of February 2014
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!
Gran Canaria Local
Tuesday 11th of February 2014
Enjoying the baby chronicles. Can't wait for the next installment. Keep them coming.
Lillie
Tuesday 11th of February 2014
Oh, don't worry-- I will! :)
wanderingeducators
Tuesday 11th of February 2014
Adorable!