Sometimes I like to just sit and watch the world go by.

Not that there’s much of a world going by our front door. Nothing but a dirt road that only the neighbors drive on. We don’t use it cause we don’t have a car. Da says there’s no need for it out here. Never needed one before, and don’t need one now. When Da talks like that, Ma just sighs and rolls her eyes with a little smile. David frowns, cause he’s the one who’s got the iching to see the world. Me? I’m just fine where I am. There’s a little wooden sign in our kitchen that says ‘Bloom where you are planted’. The Lord God planted me right here, so’s I guess I’ll just bloom where He planted me.

Not sure what ‘blooming’ really refers to when talking about a person, but I go with it.

Anyway, my favorite place in the whole wide world is sitting on the porch swing, watching the world go by. I like to sit there ’round twilight time in the summer, when the sun’s saying goodbye and the moon is just peeking over the horizon. That’s when the crickets come out to sing, and when the firebugs come out to dance. It’s real peaceful, just sitting and watching the world go by.

At around harvest time, I like to sit out there in the morning time, before breakfast. The air kind of bites you at first on the way out the door, but it’s nice and refreshing once your body gets used to it. Sometimes I’m lucky enough to see someone along the dirt road. I like to think it’s a traveller, coming to our part of the world to see just how beautiful Creation really is. But David just laughs and tells me it’s Frank, a helping hand down at the Riker’s farm.

But David don’t know that I like to pretend anyways. Even if it is just old Frank.

In the winter time, it’s too chilly to sit on the front porch, so I just sit by the window to watch the world go by. I like it when I can’t even see the world, when those snowflakes swirl around like ballet dancers in the sky. Sometimes it seems so beautiful, but other times, it seems ominous.

That’s a good word, ominous. Kind of is that sort of feeling wrapped up into one little word. Isn’t it amazing how a little word can be a feeling?

Springtime’s busy, what with planting and all, so I don’t get much time to watch the world go by. But when I do, I sit on the front steps and watch the butterflies fly around like little lost things. Or watch the bees on their missions, never swerving from where they’re going. Sometimes I even can see a family of deer in the field across the road, and I wonder what it’s like, being a baby deer. If it’s scary, or boring, or just plain happy.

David wants to go see the world. But I’m happy to bloom where I’m planted, here among all the plants and birds and bugs and animals, just filled with joy at the Creation.

Even when other people don’t think there’s much to watch, I like watching the world go by.