Children Play...

"Suffer the little children to come unto me…

for of such is the kingdom of God”

- Mark 10:14 Bible

I had been lost in thought as I sat in the gardens when I heard a little girl cry out, “Je vois, je vois, je vois une voiture verte” [I see, I see, I see a green car] This was quickly followed the voice of a gentleman saying, “Non, non, je ne vois pas une voiture verte !”  [No, no I don’t see a green car!]

The little girl, and another said, “Oui, oui, oui.” [Yes, yes, yes] To which the man replied, “non, non, non.” [No, no, no] This back and forth continued a couple more times with both the little girls and the older gentleman laughing and laughing together. 

Finally he said, “Ah, maintenant je vois la voiture verte !,” [Ah, now I see the green car] and the little girls squealed with delight.  One of them then said, “Maintenant tu grand-papa,”[Now you grandfather].  I forgot what I had been thinking about and was mesmerized by this man and his grandchildren. 

It was Paris and the Luxembourg Gardens where I had come to a rest after walking around the city for most of the morning.  Entering the grounds on a long tree lined walkway toward the Luxembourg Palace and reflecting pool I had found myself a resting bench when I heard the children’s voices.  My French is “…pas trés bien…” [not very good], but I understood this.  I found myself quietly playing right along and looking for the things the children and the grandfather pointed out.

Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away..

I was taken instantly to my childhood where my mother had taught me a similar game called, “I spy with my little eye, something that is  _______ (fill in a color or an object).  My mother would pick moderately challenging things for me to find, and I would choose ones I thought she would never get…we both did well – me because of her skill in making me work, but not too hard, and she for her naturally quick eye from which I could keep nothing hidden!  The language was different, the country and continent far, far away…but the lessons?  The life lessons were no different.

Gardens – different, but the same…

Molly and I were on our morning walk around the neighborhood of Allied Gardens where we live in San Diego.  Our standard, nearly four-mile route, takes us through our community park – not quite the halfway point.  On Saturday mornings, it is full of people in varying sized groups. 

What triggered the memory of Luxembourg Gardens was the number of children playing with their parents or grandparents.  There were small groups playing soccer to the sounds of, “Great kick!” or “Wait, wait, kick it this way!”  Teaching…if not completely ‘teachable moments.’

There was a mother reading to her child under a tree, and a small girl reading to her mother on a park bench with from one of those e-books.  A dad tossing a football to his little son…a mum swinging her daughter back and forth on the swings…a group children free-style playing at once on the slide, now the swings and monkey bars – unaware they were under the watchful eye of their parents.  Everywhere we looked the guardians playing with/instructing their children.  The struggle, the passion, the joy, the success, the failure…all of it…all of it right there for the seeing.

Life’s playground

What struck me the most was the commonality and community of man.  In many ways, this wasn’t Paris or Allied Gardens, but the metaphor for life – early or late ‘…in the ground of play.’  

Isn’t that the way it is in all of life?  Don’t we move back and forth in the roles of child and parent…teacher and student.  Isn’t this part of the secret of life for all of us?  At first being given artificial goals – priming the pump, as it were – until we find that ‘thing’ into which we can pour our interests and desires?  The ignited passion driving us even further – as the teachers and mentors we have had become part of the inner school, motivating us to ask more questions…to play the game at a higher and more subtle level.

The surprise…

There was a time when I thought, as I grew older I would look wistfully at scenes like this and remember similar events in my life – but no more.  The mystery, or secret is that it never changes, if one chooses to continue to show up “…Saturday morning in the park…”  There will always be mentors and teachers looking for students to mold and shape and help to grow.  Once one question is answered, there will be many more to occupy one’s attention.

When does a person stop learning?  When does one stop playing the game?  Where is the point where one says, “Well, now I understand…now I get it!”  If one is to remain alive, the answer, of course is…NEVER.

While I am not ancient, as the span of life is concerned, I am surely slipping down the slope of life toward its end – at least as time in service on this planet is concerned.  What is it that I want more than anything else for the time that is remaining?  The eternal and needful driving interest to find that “…voiture verte…”

- ted