Take time to look up...
BY DIANNA PALLAS Special to the News news@gulfbreezenews.com

One beautiful, sunny Saturday afternoon while hurriedly eating lunch, I caught my daughter staring upward, over my shoulder out the window. This wasn't one of your not enough sleep last night stares, but a thoughtful, determined stare. I could see her wheels turning as she squinted and although I was curious, I didn't ask or turn around. It has taken me 6 ½ years of being a Mom to realize that interrupting those little thought processes just leads to an excited, broken up, out of breath, three hour explanation so I decided to wait patiently for the calm, full, thought out two minute version.

"Mom, look! There is a bunny jumping over a shamrock!" my daughter declared as she pointed her finger toward the sky. My husband and I gave each other that "I don't know what she's talking about, do you?" look as we turned around to try and find this amazing, flying rabbit and his good luck charm.

"See, right there…no, over more…look higher!" Just as we were both about to ask our sweet angel if she had suffered any head trauma that morning, we saw it. Nope, she wasn't hallucinating, she was looking at something simple through the eyes of a six year old…a cloud. My husband and I looked at each other and smiled, "Wow, when's the last time you did that?" I asked. He couldn't even remember.

Amemory came to me: It's 1980-something in Illinois and my best friend Kelly and I are lying in our grassy cul-de-sac gazing up at the bluer than blue sky. Because of the circle drive, the treetops form a perfect, circular frame around each passing cottony cloud. Sometimes the wind is so fast that you have to be creative quick. Sometimes it so slow that the cloud that appears as one thing, takes on an entirely different shape by the time it exits your view. This day is perfect with just the right amount of breeze to keep us cool and keep the "show" rolling right along. We adjust our blanket and take inventory of our pretzels…this is going to be a perfect afternoon. And we wait…the first one appears… time goes by only as fast as the clouds float. We take turns giving our opinions on what each passing white shape looks like. We don't always see what the other saw, but we spend many a lazy day enjoying the wonderful show in the sky just laughing and being together.

My six year old and I decided that we would walk to our last errand of the day so we could continue to cloud watch. As she and I walked with our faces upward toward the sky I couldn't help but be amazed at how creative she was ("Mom, that looks like Daddy's chair!") and how creative I could be, too. What fun that was, walking, talking, laughing, sharing ideas, and like those days lying in the cul-de-sac, not always seeing the same thing. I guess it's pretty simple when you think about it: We may not always "see" the same things… have a pretzel and get over it! Different points of view are what make life interesting!

When you take the time to gaze with your child, you not only get some interesting perspectives on what goes on inside that amazing head, but you most certainly will get onto topics such as school, friends, dreams and things that usually get you a one word answer! Get a blanket, make some time and lay out on the grass, the beach, or even the hood of your car and take in the free show. You never know what you might discover.