Timothy

In the moment that I watched him,
I saw him change –
A child of a limited reality
Became a child of possibility.

The discovery was his own.

My attempts to “teach” him had little to do with it,
Except to encourage him to try again.

The moment was right for him –
He was ready
And interested
And the task fit his need.

The power of a single moment –

The power to reshape our thinking –
To organize our experience
Into the beliefs and values and knowledge
Which guide us for the rest of our lives.

Thousands of moments a day…

We live and grow
And learn
And have little time to appreciate
The impact of a single moment.

Freedom

My bike was my first taste of real freedom, the key to unlock the entire world. I remember starting at the top of Keswick Drive and flying down the long gradual hill to the end of the street – probably close to a mile.

From there, if I was lucky, I could just make the turn onto Cold Springs Lane, down that shorter, steeper, hill before I had to begin to pedal to pay for it all.

I was never without a friend once I learned to ride that bike.

I never shifted gears, rarely used the brake, and probably tore up lots of pairs of shoes.