The Most Delightful Thing on Earth

Do you remember the scene in the 2003 movie, Lost in Translation, when Bob tells Charlotte what it's like to have children? I think of that exchange this morning.

Bob: It gets a whole lot more complicated when you have kids.

Charlotte: It's scary.

Bob: The most terrifying day of your life is the day the first one is born.

Charlotte: Nobody ever tells you that.

Bob: Your life, as you know it... is gone. Never to return. But they learn how to walk, and they learn how to talk... and you want to be with them. And they turn out to be the most delightful people you will ever meet in your life.

Charlotte: That's nice.

They do grow up. They do sleep one day. They do become so delightful--people you would choose to spend time with because they are just that wonderful.

I recall the movie because my youngest daughter turned nine today. She is one of the most delightful people I have ever met in my whole life. This girl--the one with colic who never slept. This girl--the one who did everything in her own time, in her own way, and you couldn't do anything about it. This girl--the one who had me crying over her stubborn baby ways. 

This girl is now nine years old and amazing. There's something about age nine: The creativity! The zeal! The bounce! The empathy (finally)! The hunger to learn and explore! The wonder! The laughter! The lack of stress and worry! 

We celebrated her birthday at 6:00 AM because that's how she rolls. Why waste the daylight? 

I cannot wait to see that little face again after school. Meanwhile, I stop by her bedroom and notice all her wildflowers growing wildly, almost ready to plant. You can't contain this. 

It's going by too quickly, and here I am just watching her stretch herself toward the sun, growing, just as she should. Every day is precious around here. A nine-year old might just be one of the most delightful things on earth. What do you think?