On Tuesday morning in Hanalei, kindergartners were taking their first step into one of the biggest challenges of their life. Kindergarten. For a kindergartner, the world seems like such a big place. They are truly just one person in this
On Tuesday morning in Hanalei, kindergartners were taking their first step into one of the biggest challenges of their life. Kindergarten.
For a kindergartner, the world seems like such a big place. They are truly just one person in this big world, yet they don’t realize how much power one little keiki holds.
While driving past the school, I stopped and watched parents with their children walk onto campus. Many children were excited, but some “veterans” who were headed to middle school next year acted cool, with their shades on and an “I got this” attitude.
But there were also some kids who were new and scared of their new adventure. I saw one child run back into his mother’s arms and hug her. He started sobbing and I felt the worry and pain in his heart.
“I don’t want to go mommy,” he cried. For a 5-year-old this was big, I thought. There will more days like this, more days of teachers, classes and making friends.
Kindergartners don’t focus on the bad in the world. They only focus on what’s bothering them in the moment.
It was that thought that prompted me to focus on what’s really going on in the world.
It seems like every time we turn around, there is something bad happening. Shootings, bombings, and some even wonder if its the beginning of World War III.
As adults, we look at the bigger picture. We look at our keiki and know they are our future.
One of these kindergartners may be a president. Maybe even a Grammy Award winner. When you are a kindergartner, your potential adventures are endless. Everything seems possible.
I realized lately I’ve been feeling like that kindergartner running back to his mother. Scared to face the world. And I wonder what the world will be like in five years, 10 years.
Will it be simple? Kind? Or will there be more madness than anyone could ever imagine?
Will the people of the world mend and work together to face the big battles or will they tear each other apart?
Sometimes you just need to look through the eyes of a kindergartner. See the world as this big place with new adventures at your fingertips, around each corner. Focus on the good in people, the good of the island. Take a breathe, soak up the island, its beauty and be thankful.
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Chloe Marchant is TGIF editor and page designer at The Garden Island.
