Be a Nut
Logan and I were walking to our car just outside his preschool on a warm late afternoon - a gift after a string of frigid days in Central Texas.
Most days, I am the pick-up parent, and recently I’ve noticed that he’s taken to trailing behind me by a step or two as we exit the school. He likes searching the ground for pecan shucks and filling his pocket with them.
And it’s really not hard - shucks line the ground all over the region, especially on and around his preschool’s parking and play area.
On this particular day, I watched as Logan curled his fingers around a hardened brown shuck and - instead of stuffing it into his pocket - he took note of its slight opening.
Quietly, his fingers pried it open, took a few soft pieces of pecan, and then delivered them to his mouth.
Who needs the grocery store?
He smiled. I smiled. And then I lifted him into his car seat.
“Logan, did you play outside today?” I asked as I buckled him in.
I knew the answer, of course. It had been the first gorgeous day our area had seen in weeks. His teachers, his classmates, and the playground toys themselves undoubtedly wanted nothing more than for some good ol’ outdoor time to happen.
“No,” he said casually.
”What?!” I replied in mock shock. I knew this couldn’t actually have been the case.
“Hehe… Daddy, I am joking with you.” A little grin split across his face as he continued working the shuck for pecan crumbles.
”Why are you joking?” I said playfully.
”Because I love you, Daddy.”
—
There are reasons and seasons when a hardened, protective shell is necessary.
But also… the shell is not the goal.
The protection is not the thing.
The hardened exterior is not the home.
All of these must eventually soften and relent if good stuff is to be found.
Like winter giving way to spring.
Shucks giving way to young fingers.
Pick-up routines giving way to playfulness.
Fortified perspectives giving way to new possibility.
Always, it’s only from the soft, vulnerable middle that we find such jewels as…
Laughter
Honesty
Goodness
Freedom
Creativity
Joy
Wisdom
Insight
Vitality
Love.
—
What’s opening you these days?
Who’s opening you these days?
(Note how often the answer may involve a child)
Scary, I’m sure.
But, also…
What if this wild, fearful, and exposed opening is actually an invitation for the unique nourishment of your voice, presence, and gifts to come forth?
What if - precisely because you received the invitation - a few more mouths bent upwards in the coming days?