Sometimes the most profound conversations happen in grocery store parking lots with five-year-old wearing pink Crocs.
I was coming out of the store when I spotted this little guy and told him his shoes were pretty cool. Oh my goodness, did that open the floodgates. Out poured this delightful stream of consciousness about his blue sucker, those amazing pink Crocs with their tiny giraffe decorations, tomorrow’s promised new toy, how his baby brother was going to play with it too, and (announced with a squeal) “Tomorrow I’m going to be five.” Eyes sparkling, hands moving, feet kicked up in front of him to make sure I saw the Crocs, completely lit up by life.
As I got into my car, I remembered something important: we all have something worth sharing if we’re really paying attention. Right?
I mean, those little plastic giraffes weren’t exactly breaking news. But to him? They were absolutely worth a full-blown presentation. And it hit me. When did I stop getting excited about the little giraffes in my own life?
We’ve all been there, right? Someone asks, “What’s new?” and we scramble for something important-sounding to say. Or worse, we default to “Oh, you know, same old stuff” because we’ve forgotten how to notice the small things that actually make our days brighter. We’ve forgotten to notice all the goodness right in front of us.
But this little guy? He had the secret figured out. Every detail was worth sharing because every detail was worth noticing. That blue sucker was delicious. Those pink Crocs were the best thing ever. Tomorrow held actual promise—with a new toy. His baby brother was going to be part of the adventure.
Here’s what I’ve been thinking about since that parking lot moment: maybe we’re all just walking around with invisible pink Crocs, but we’ve forgotten to look down and notice the giraffes.
I don’t know about you, but I can get pretty good at sleepwalking through my days. The routine feels repetitive and boring. The news headlines become the same variations of “world still chaotic, details at ten.” Even good things can blur into “same old, same old” when we stop paying attention.
But what if we passed on the sleepwalking? What if we lived like that little boy? Genuinely excited about the small things that cross our path. It’s not forced gratitude or pretending everything is sunshine and rainbows. It’s real curiosity about our own lives.
Here’s the deal. When someone asks what’s new, they’re not conducting a performance review of your life. They’re not expecting you to announce that you’ve solved world hunger or finally organized your junk drawer (though if you did tackle that drawer, I’m genuinely impressed).
They’re just trying to connect. They want to know what’s been catching your attention, what made you smile this week, what random thing you noticed that maybe nobody else did.
The new book you’re dying to get back to tonight. A song you keep humming but can’t quite remember all the words to. Your dog’s ridiculous sleeping position. The fact that someone thought to put tiny giraffes on children’s shoes.
Ooftah. Somewhere along the way, we decided to save our excitement for the “big” moments. But that little guy reminded me that every day is full of God’s goodness and heart-and-soul celebrations. Life moments to get excited about.
We don’t need balloons and fireworks to mark what matters. Sometimes celebration is just feeling the confetti in your heart when you notice something that makes you smile. Something that reminded you that even ordinary days are full of tiny wonders if we’re paying attention.
So how about this. Let’s live like we’re wearing pink Crocs. Notice things. Get excited about small stuff. Be curious about our own lives. And when someone asks what’s new, we light up a little and tell them about the giraffes on our shoes.
We don’t need bigger lives. Just more curious ones.
Let’s start noticing again. Cue the confetti.
Let’s celebrate the little giraffes glued to the pink Crocs.
P.S. So. Take 30 seconds. Pause here and wonder … What pink Crocs with giraffes made me smile today? Send me a note and tell me!
