When I'm a Boy

On the way to the bus stop today, a woman was walking two young girls to the bus. I overheard the woman say to the one girl who was walking beside her, "You've done your good deed for the day." The little girl repeated excitedly, "I saved him! I saved him." She then ran up ahead to the other girl, and told her that she had saved two worms by scooping them off the road, and laying them in the grass.

I smiled.

As I've grown older, I observe a little less. I have a little less innocent charm. I spend a little less time in wonder at the possibilities of each new morning. I don't rush out after school to hop on my bicycle and ride down the tenth line road as far as I can go before being late for supper. But I still, whenever I see a worm on the road, pick him (or her) up and set him back on the grass.

As long as I remain in some small way a little boy, my world stays big and new.