Eat like a child

How Maya eats a cupcake:

1. Remove the candy topping from all cupcakes
2. Eat the candy first
3. Select the cupcake that appears to be the least damaged
4. Lick all the frosting off first 
5. Slowly nibble the frosting-less cupcake 
6. Drop cupcake crumbs on chair and sprinkle on floor
7. Leave one or two bites of cupcake on the plate
8. Suck the remaining frosting and crumbs from the cupcake wrapper
9. Wipe sticky hands on the chair, clothes, and/or in hair
10. Run away to play

Moments and actions like this strike me when I can keep my eyes open, pause, and be present in the moment. Today, was one of those days. 

How Maya catches a "butterfly":

1. Run through the garden willy-nilly, arms flailing
2. Giggle relentlessly
3. Pause on the curb to the street and glance back to see if mom is watching
4. Chase the butterfly down the curb
5. Run into and say hi to the day laborers at the neighbor's house
6. Glance to the porch to see if mom is watching
7. Race the butterflies back to the lantana bushes
8. Trap the nearest one between your tiny hands
9. Present your "butterfly" proudly to mommy
10. Watch her run around the house trying to locate your butterfly bungalow
11. Gently place the "butterfly" in her new home
12. Pick flowers and leaves from the garden to make her feel at home
13. Decide to set her free three hours later. Change your mind. Change your mind again. 
14. Go to sweet sleep not realizing the butterfly was actually a moth and that the moth is now dead (not sleeping like you thought)

There is nothing more beautiful or sweet to me than the innocence of children.