Occasionally we let Sean play just outside the door on the side of our house. There was a sidewalk there too that went alongside the house. We could watch him from the double windows as he traipsed up and down the walkway. He liked to play with dirt there, and since there was an empty lot next to us, there was plenty of good old dusty Texas dirt.
One afternoon Sean was playing outside when I felt a sense of urgency. I didn't hear a noise or anything, it was just a feeling - not good, not bad. It was just a, "you'd better go see" sense.
I swung the door open and Sean stood up. He looked at me with a non-reactionary expression, but then I noticed his feet fidgeting. I also noticed his left fist was clenched shut, so I hurriedly pried it open. About ten or more fire ants scurried out. I began slapping them off of him and stomping the ground. He didn't make a sound. I pulled him inside to check his hands and body. Not a single bite!
Sean had apparently noticed the fine dirt of a small developing ant bed and began sifting it. I doubt he even noticed the ants. If he had been bitten, I doubt he would have reacted. I had to constantly be his reaction; therefore, I had to constantly observe. I learned the most when he wasn't looking.
"You can observe a lot just by watching."
~ Yogi Berra
~ Yogi Berra
