"Hearing him laugh is such a joy--it makes me want to laugh too," said an older woman, watching my son chortle with pleasure while he climbed some carpeted steps at a restaurant.
Learning is so much about joy, I'm realizing (see yesterday's post)--and it's so hard sometimes, as a fatigued adult, to feel that joy...so much of the time we're just getting through the day, and end up so physically, mentally or emotionally exhausted on such a regular basis that we can't even fathom the idea of absorbing new information during what little free time is left.
The only way I know how to cope with that is to reverse everything, in my head at least...to not see the day as something to "get through," first of all; second, to set up learning projects not as "tasks" but as acts of play.
I can't say that I've succeeded completely in this realm. Sometimes I'm so exhausted after taking care of the little guy that I can think of nothing more rewarding than taking a bath, eating too much chocolate, reading something utterly forgettable and going to bed. But every time I hear my son laugh while he's trying something new, I'm reminded of how much we need to exercise that gray matter on a very regular basis--and what a kick it is to do so.
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