Writing Wednesday

Please remember that I just typed this right out of my head with only a read through or two and a check of grammar and spelling. So, essentially it's a rough draft. Enjoy!


Existence by CraftyTeresa

"Was that tree there before?", she asked.
"Yes, it's been here the whole 3 years that we've lived here." I answered.
"Nu-uh!" My daughter likes to be contrary.
"Yes it has! A year ago or so you planted a clover that you picked right under this tree.",
I said, just to try to argue back a little and make my point.
Finally she was able to accept that the tree did exist before she noticed it.
'Wow, has she only now noticed that large tree? Or did she just forget it was here?', I thought.
We had walked past that tree every day of three year's worth of school years. When it was just her brother going to school, we walked past it twice a day. This year with her in kindergarten, we only walk past it on the way home... but, it's always been there. Hasn't it?
When she pointed it out to me today it was as if I had also seen it for the first time. It looked like it had been there for a long time. The school was built in in 2000 I think, so the tree had to be at least as old as the school. Right?
Maybe it didn't really exist for her until she really noticed it? Maybe I had forgotten the tree or ignored it and it didn't exist for me until my daughter pointed it out to me.

I've always worried about my memory. This was something to really think about.

"Was that bush there before?", my daughter pointed to a bush in a yard on our trip home.
I laughed a little, "Yes. That bush was there before. There used to be a little fence there too, but they took it out. I can't remember if the bush was there behind that little fence... it might've been. But, yes, that bush has been there for a while.", I explained.
'There we go again!', I thought. Was my memory playing tricks on me again? I couldn't really remember if the bush was there or not before or after the little fence was removed.

It started me thinking, 'Am I really walking through life with blinders on? I work so hard on putting one foot in front of the other that I don't really notice the world around me.
Am I losing the child-like ability to stop and look up and question and make the world really exist around me and appreciate the beauty that surrounds me?'

I sighed and shook my head to clear it and looked down again so I could hurry to the next place and remember everything for everyone. I tried hard to ignore the pain and forced myself to put one foot in front of the other and finished the walk home.
And the world disappeared once more.