As the Spring sun lingers, so do our afternoons outside. Our five-year-old has taken up tree climbing and seeing how high he can go and whether today it will be just one more branch. Our two-year-old has taken up trying to climb the porch, the fence, the playground in attempt to keep up.
I’ve learned to listen for her call, “Din, Din, Wook at me!” Din Din is her name for him.
Whenever I hear this, I know I’ll find her somewhere higher than ground level looking at her brother who is sitting in his tree and I know my heart will skip a beat wondering whether she will be able to balance without falling from her new vantage point. I give her space trying to allow her to practice her freedom and independence as much as possible without a trip to the emergency room.
I hear her call again, “Din, Din, Wook at me!”
This time he responds from his sitting branch. “I see you.”
I stop for a minute and see this miraculous interaction. She is calling to be seen and to be heard. He is bearing witness to where she is and what she has accomplished. Such a simple exchange, but one that has so much impact.
I think about what would happen if we were able to do this as adults. How would things change if we felt seen and heard? Would our hearts and words soften if we bore witness to each other doing hard things and reaching new heights? What if we were able to call across to someone and hear a response and an affirmation? Would that change anything?
I sit back into the chair as she climbs down from her perch no doubt looking for her next obstacle to climb and marvel at her courage and her unabashed call to be seen and heard no matter how many times it takes.