Childhood wonderment should never grow up!

A couple of weeks ago, after the last rain storm here, I stood on the front porch sipping on my cup of coffee and enjoyed an awe-inspiring double rainbow. My coffee was quickly forgotten as I stood in a state of wonderment at the glorious beauty before me. For a few moments, I felt like I did when, as a child, I discovered some new-found beauty or joy which I truly believed nobody else had ever known!

The time I found my first periwinkle was a total delight to me. I was probably about four years old and I remember holding the little bugger ever so lovingly in my hands as I rushed to show my find to my grandmother. Hindsight being 20-20, I realize she wasn't particularly pleased with my astounding discovery, but she accommodated my wishes to place "Wally" in a jar filled with seaweed. She was, in my mind's eye, delighted in my excitement and made me feel as if I'd discovered an extinct species! When "Wally" died, she didn't hesitate a moment to help me hold a funeral for the critter!

I grew up in a little town right on the Atlantic Ocean. There is something about the sounds of the ocean that, to this day, can tug at some deep-seated primordial urge within me. "Did you know you can hear the sound of a wave by placing your ear on the ground," I once asked? I could often be found, completely prone about six feet away from the breaking waves, with one side of my face pressed against the sand listening to the waves coming in. No two waves sound the same, I discovered! The wonder of it was special for me throughout my entire chidhood.

To this day, I can still remember when I discovered licorice! One penny, in those days, would get you a handful of wonders for the tastebuds - and licorice was (and still is) thought to have been invented specifically for me! No chewing allowed, you understand, was my rule. Let your tongue and teeth turn black by letting the delcious concoction melt ever so slowly - I could enjoy it so much longer that way! Nobody else in my family liked licorice, which totally bumfuzzled me. How could they not like it?

People who know me well often comment about what a kid at heart I am! So be it. When I see the American Flag blowing in the breeze, I get goosebumps because of the pride in that flag which was instilled in me as a child! A newly-born animal (especially a lamb) takes me back to the days when I would sleep in the pen with Grampa to await the birthing of whatever animal was due to drop soon! Every time I drink a glass of milk, memories of milking Dolly, Molly, and Sally in the dead of winter rush back - I can still feel the pleasure the warmth and peacefulness of the barn gave me after rushing through the cold to get my chore (which really was fun) done! The sight of a Palomino horse brings images of Big Ben rushing back to me - he was a mean stallion who was gentle with me and I absolutely adored him because I was the only one he would let ride him bareback. The smell of peppermint was and always will be associated with my grandmother's over-sized aprons, with the deep pockets, in which she always had a peppermint treat for me (and an occasional chunk of licorice).

I suppose my real motive for this writing is to remind myself to never let go of my excitement, joy, and wonder. I truly hope I never REALLY grow up - growing old doesn't necessarily mean I have to think old!

Micky Finn is gonna have a licorice stick today!