Enthusiasm and Energy - Through New Eyes

About seventeen years ago, while I was attending a baby shower, the hostess passed around some index cards on which we were each to write some parenting advice for the new mother-to-be.  I tried to think of a useful tip that she hadn't probably already read in some book or magazine, and I came up empty.  So instead, I thought about being a parent in general and what is wonderful about it.  I wrote:

"The best thing about being a mother is getting to experience everything again for the first time through your children's eyes.  May their enthusiasm for this brand new world be energizing!"

Although it's been a long time since my children were small, I still experience those moments with them.  Recently, my daughter (the "baby," at 15) and I hiked up a local mountain called Sharp Top.  I even posted about it in a blog - "You Have Reached the Top of the Mountain."  I'll link to it at the end.  This wasn't my daughter's first trip up the mountain, but every time we go, she is so excited.  It seems always we see or notice something new, and even though I've seen the magnificent view from the summit many times, sharing it with her makes it even more special.

I got to share another new experience with her last week.  My son's high school Wind Symphony was invited to play at Carnegie Hall.  I wasn't planning to go, but at the last minute - literally, the band had already left on the train hours earlier - I thought to myself, "WHY am I not in New York???"  I asked my daughter, "Would you like to go to New York?"  Well, of course her face completely lit up and she replied, "YES!"  Eighteen hours later, we were on a train heading north for her first ever trip to NYC.

As soon as we emerged from Penn Station onto 34th Street, my daughter took a selfie with the Empire State Building in the background.  Doesn't this make you smile, too?

We arrived around 3:30 in the afternoon and had a day and a half to see as much as we could of the city before my son's 8 PM performance the next evening.

She got to experience the tiny rooms of NYC.

First, we went to Rockefeller Center.

Then to the Top of the Rock!

Times Square at night.

The next morning, in a city of over 8 million people, we unexpectedly ran into my son and his band. Amazing.

We walked across the Brooklyn Bridge into Manhattan.

We found our famous "Friends'" apartment building on the corner of Grove & Bedford streets.

You have to eat pizza at least once in New York.  I think this was somewhere on 8th Avenue, north of Times Square.

She got to meet my high school friend Darius, a Broadway actor, currently in the Book of Mormon.

Waiting for another train.

Carnegie Hall!!!  Although every pianist imagines what it would be like to perform here, somehow I think it was an even better feeling seeing my son performing up there in the trumpet section.

Believe it or not, that's not all we did.  We also shopped in Times Square, toured St. Patrick's Cathedral, ate 3 times in Hell's Kitchen (Thai and 2 different bakeries), watched the Today Show being filmed, went to the top of One World Observatory (World Trade Center), ate at the Dead Rabbit in the Financial District, saw the Wall Street Bull & the little defiant girl, saw the NYC Vietnam Memorial (that I didn't even know existed), walked through Central Park, and did a quick tour of the Museum of Natural History.  Whew, I think that's it.

I posted photos on Facebook every step of the way.  Native New Yorkers, including my mother, Brooklyn_Born, were impressed at how much we managed to pack in.  When I look back on it, even I kind of step back and go, "Wow, that *was* a lot," although it didn't seem tiring or rushed at all.  Part of that is probably due to the fact that I'm in good physical shape, but I think the other part of it was the enthusiasm and energy of my daughter.

The enthusiasm of a newbie is contagious, wherever we are.  We want to share it.  Meeting new friends, even if they're not newbies, is equally rejuvenating.  New people and perspectives help us all stay energized.

I think this is why SparkPeople is such a successful site.  In spite of any changes that may occur, the fact is we are all connecting with new friends and newbies every day.  You can't help but be motivated by that.  Personally, I get my "daily spark" from reading blogs, and have been really excited to see a lot of new people featured lately.  

When you find a particular blog that sparks you, please be sure to click "I liked this blog!" so it might reach a wider audience.  Enthusiasm and energy through new eyes and new friends encourages us to experience new things and achieve our dreams!

My older blog:  You Have Reached the Top of the Mountain!