<a href="http://www.halfwaytonormal.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/1.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-519" title="1" src="http://www.halfwaytonormal.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/1-538x403.jpg" alt="" width="538" height="403" /></a>
<h5 style="padding-left: 390px;">Illustration by Jason Berg</h5>
Yesterday I spent the day in Springfield, Illinois with three busloads of third and fourth graders—well, I actually only spent the day with 10 fourth graders, which was much more manageable. We went to the New Salem historic site, a reconstruction of where Abraham Lincoln spent his early adulthood, and then the state capitol building and the state museum.

Our group was high-energy, so I had to be really "on," (much like I described in <a href="http://www.halfwaytonormal.com/?p=351">another post</a> about chaperoning a field trip), but <strong>I also just purely loved observing and interacting with the kids.</strong>

When I'm spending time with kids, I love seeing things in a new light, through their eyes. I love learning again some of the things I learned so long ago—both academic information and those important bits of knowledge about how the world works, and how social interactions and negotiations play out.

<strong>Perhaps what I love most is the opportunity to be transported back to my own childhood</strong>—to remember so many of the fascinations, fears, discoveries and confusions I felt. Being able to get in touch with the nine-year-old version of me is fun, and I also think it helps me understand more about my adult self.
<h4>The rewarding challenge of explaining the world, honestly &amp; simply</h4>
As I interacted with the kids yesterday, I was also reminded how much <strong>I love thinking about how to answer their questions, and how to explain what certain words mean.</strong> When Laisha saw a sign and asked "What does 'prohibited' mean?" I responded "It means it's 'not allowed.'" Then she asked "Why don't they just write 'not allowed?'" I had to swallow my laugh and tell her that was a very good question—in fact, it's one I spend much of my professional life advocating. "Sometimes big words do a better job explaining something, but a lot of the time people use them when they don't need to, just to sound smart or official," I explained.

<strong>As adults, we often fall into ruts, forgetting to question why things are done in a certain way rather than another, just as valid way.</strong> I love how spending time with kids can jostle you out of those ruts.

Before I started writing this post, I went to <a href="http://twitter.com/#search?q=%23thelovelist">#thelovelist hashtag on Twitter</a> to pull some recent additions for this post. A few of them, in particular, went right along with this theme:
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><span class="status-body"><span id="msgtxt5111792261" class="msgtxt en">@MoJoJules just got back from seeing my niece. she makes my heart complete and laugh. she is precious!</span></span></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">@jenluit <span class="status-body"><span id="msgtxt5211358091" class="msgtxt en">I love that my daughter protests the idea of "girl" and "boy" toys.</span></span></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><span class="status-body"><span id="msgtxt5154816183" class="msgtxt en">@kt_writes Q, my 11-YO, just said "I love tea &amp; books. I could live without computers &amp; TVs &amp; lemonade, but not without tea &amp; books."</span></span></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">@OSG <span class="status-body"><span id="msgtxt5065757501" class="msgtxt en">Sent an email that I signed "Dad".</span></span></p>
<strong>Here's to kids—not just for who they are, but for how they change us.</strong> If you don't get chances to interact with kids on a regular basis, I really encourage you to find ways to connect at a church or by volunteering as a tutor or mentor at a local school or non-profit.

<strong>Now for some updates from #thelovelist over past week or so:</strong>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">@MoJoJules <span class="status-body"><span id="msgtxt5033980378" class="msgtxt en">Just helped my dad do the Halloween "boo" gift in our neighborhood. Never laughed and ran so hard in my life.</span></span></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">@bridgeout <span class="status-body"><span id="msgtxt5025035414" class="msgtxt en">So grateful for the bright blue sky today and short sleeve weather after several days of cold and rain </span></span></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">@OSG <span class="status-body"><span id="msgtxt5093910050" class="msgtxt en">Love when things on my #thelovelist are actionable. eg, love trees fall colors, reminds me of Delaware; Write M a letter.</span></span></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">@lje2me <span class="status-body"><span id="msgtxt5128406699" class="msgtxt en">Losing myself in creativity in my craft room is so healthy for my heart &amp; soul.</span></span></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><span class="status-body"><span id="msgtxt5165851172" class="msgtxt en">@kt_writes when writing a blog post becomes an active part of the thought &amp; idea *process*, not just a way to record an idea/thought.</span></span></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><span class="status-body"><span id="msgtxt5188460970" class="msgtxt en">@scheidel I love that I work in an office in midtown manhattan where 30 out of 30 employees get excited about the fall lunchtime potluck.</span></span></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><span class="status-body"><span id="msgtxt5212246792" class="msgtxt en">@remtobreathe So glad I dragged myself off to church prayer last night ... was awesome ... and badly needed.</span></span></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><span class="status-body"><span id="msgtxt5248589176" class="msgtxt en">@mojojules I got to go into the "deep" with a new friend. Loved the honesty and rawness of the convo.</span> </span></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">@cnewvine<span class="status-body"><span id="msgtxt5288495976" class="msgtxt en"> I'm grateful for sunny autumn days when the air is crisp and smells like leaves.</span></span></p>
<strong>And I'm really excited about next Friday's guest post, by my book-loving, Gen-Y friend <a href="http://www.ordinarymer.com/">Meredith</a>.</strong> Here are some of her recent love list additions, just to give you a sense of who she is and what you can look forward to:
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">@McMer314 <span class="status-body"><span id="msgtxt5021337295" class="msgtxt en">I love snuggling into oversized sweathshirts, burrowing underneath blankets instead of turning on heat when it gets cold.</span></span></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><span class="status-body"><span id="msgtxt5047401796" class="msgtxt en">@McMer314 Singing in my car along with the radio/ipod, at the top of my lungs, not caring if I'm in tune.</span></span></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><span class="status-body"><span id="msgtxt5162570812" class="msgtxt en">@McMer314 Sunday nights mean reconnecting w/ my family through phone calls. I like hearing their voices - makes the distance seem less.</span></span></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><span class="status-body"><span id="msgtxt5190646993" class="msgtxt en">@McMer314 Reading a beloved book again for 2nd (or 3rd, 5th or 8th) time is like catching up with an old friend - familiar and new.</span></span></p>