In observing my 14 month old, I love to watch his bewilderment at the simplest things; a straw, a quarter, a rubberband. He palms these items and studies every tiny little part of it. Since everything is brand new to him, he doesn't take anything for granted.
Somewhere along the line, in my thirty-some-odd years, I lost my amazement of a paperclip. Granted, I wouldn't get much done if I were to play with one for 12 minutes straight, but what if we were to look at everyday items like we had never seen them before? Would new uses become suddenly apparent? Would it pave the way for a better alternative? Because really, isn't that what we get when we disregard "business as usual" and turn things on their end?
