I am DC suburbs born and raised. I rush when I’m in no hurry. I feel a sense of urgency even when I have nowhere to be. And as much as having 3 kids in under 4 years has fostered that inner frenzy, it has also taught me the beauty of slowing down. It has reopened my eyes to everyday wonder.

Nothing teaches you how fast time goes quite like having kids. Child years are like dog years and somehow we parents get sucked into the timewarp. Seasons change with swift progression. Developmental leaps abound overnight. Inches are added in a day. Gray hairs arise in a blink. And yet amidst all of this hurry we are pulled down towards the ground to witness ants crawl across a pavement crack, slowed to hold hands at a stubby-legged stride, drawn to seek out passing trucks and flowers and colors.

We miss so much from our adult height and speed. Our children see what we no longer do. They remind us of the wonder around us. The magic in the everyday.

Yesterday my littlest and I went to the farmers market and walked home instead of driving. What would’ve taken us 5 minutes required 40, but that was the beauty of it. The luxury of slowing down. Of seeing. Feeling.

From our sidewalk perspective we saw what we so often blindly pass by. We stopped to examine flowers, watch bumblebees, wonder at historic homes, and truly feel the morning breeze. We experienced the coolness of the shade, the warmth of the sun, the hug of humidity on a not-quite-fall day.

We took the slow way home. And it was wonderful.

So often we need to hurry and plan and prepare and race. But sometimes all we really need is to slow down. To appreciate. To wonder.