I have the pleasure of being a school bus driver. One of the great delights of driving little kids around is the joy of seeing them learn something new. One kindergarten girl had learned something new and was eager to share this with me.
“Do you know we live on Earth?” she said as she climbed the big step on the school bus. She stopped at the top of those steps and looked me in the eye, blocking all the other kids waiting to get on behind her.
“No, really!” I said, bewildered, at this exciting new information. I found the best way to get her moving is to engage in what she is talking about. Trying to tell her to step aside doesn’t work because she gets way too eager to tell me some new piece of knowledge she has acquired.
She moved along and promptly sat behind me.
“We live on Earth because that is the best place for kids and dogs to play together,” she continued.
“Wow, fascinating. I had no idea,” I said as I watched the other students work their way onto the bus. Once everyone was loaded, I began driving away, and the girl added more information:
“Earth is the best place. Neptune is too far away, and Mars is too hot.”
By this point, her bestest friend in the whole world, who happens to be the same age, a girl as well, and is at the same bus stop, began asking questions about puppies and kids and all the other planets. Sadly, the engine of my bus roared louder than usual because it was so cold today, and I could no longer hear the children share these fascinating tidbits with each other.
I remember the excitement of learning something new and the joy of sharing that with others. And I am glad that the girl was excited to share this with me. This had to be one of the most exciting things she had heard this week.
