James

James runs head first into everything.

Maybe because that’s how life should be approached, or maybe because he’s nearly two years old.

Regardless, it’s a joy to see him running towards everything with his head slightly pushed forward.

He’s an explorer and a rule-breaker.

He blocks the slide, and is not afraid to take the stairs up to the slide only to take them back down.

Forget the rules: He doesn’t want to slide down!

When he’s not running, he’s tilting his head to look around and look at faces.

He’s friendly, but he doesn’t want to play with you. He just wants you to know he sees you.

His hunger to explore overpowers his hunger to make friends, for now.

Once James decides he’s done, or Dad senses the playground at the mall can no longer contain his zest for adventure, we eventually ⏤ with a little resistance (he needs to see the world for god’s sake!) ⏤ get him back into his taxi-cab stroller.

Yup, it looks like a taxi.

He’s moving again and this calms him. Wheels are a fine substitute for legs. He looks around and smiles.

His Dad pops hims out of the stroller to put his shoes back on.

I playfully drop his neon green jacket softly on his head, and lift it back up.

Knowing it’s our own little game of hide-and-seek, James smiles at me.

Once his shoes are on he wants to use his legs again.

He has a plan.

He begins to walk towards me. I think he wants to get past me, so I freeze.

But he walks right up and hugs my legs.

He wants me to pick him up.

I’ve only met James three times.

The first two times he was an infant, and he was too young to see me as anything but shapes and colours.

Today is the third.

I pick him up.

As he turns around so he can push the stroller to see how it works.

I hope his hunger for adventure doesn’t wane as he gets older.

He isn’t afraid to break rules and always wants to explore.

Because he is a Treasure.