For 25 years I’ve been looking out of my office window, located on the third floor of a four-storey brick medical building. I’ve angled my chiropractic treatment table so that I can clearly absorb the view while I palpate, massage, and adjust patients. The scene outside the window is always the same. Each day brings a caravan of mothers and nannies to the park, with children eager to play on the swings, slides and rocking horses. This is Peter Pan Park, a green patch of heaven in the city, framed by giant old oak trees with low branches begging to be climbed.
On this particular day, all four swings are occupied, children’s legs pointing to the sky to seek momentum. A toddler supported by two strong female arms rocks gleefully on a red horse attached to a blue spring. Two little girls with plastic shovels and pails crouch over a mound of sand. A mom waits at the bottom of the slide while her son readies himself at the top.
It may seem unfathomable that this window could possible be a gift for my spirit. But every day it serves as a reminder to be playful. I am witness to the timelessness of life. Fifty-five years ago this “grown up” was that laughing child. There will always be children playing in this park to remind us that the simple things in life – a ball, bird, or tree – can spark curiosity, adventure, laughter, and delight. Children teach me to notice and appreciate little things – that the days are getting longer, the smell in the air after the rain, a woodpecker tapping on bark. There is a low lying oak branch so close to my window that I can see buds forming on it in the early spring. I still feel a wide-eyed excitement no matter how many times I witness the unfolding of the seasons
We all have an enchanted window to look out of every day – if not in reality, at least in our hearts and minds.
