“Goodbye,” said the fox. “Note here is my secret. It is very simple. It is only with one’s heart that one can see clearly. What is essential is invisible to the eye.”

Have you ever gotten so caught up in doing all your grown-up things that you’ve forgotten why you’re doing them in the first place? Far too often and far too easily, we trap ourselves in our routines because that’s what you’re supposed to do. Tally up these widgets and generate those TPS reports. Collect all the stars in the sky solely so you can tabulate them. A deceptively simple tale, The Little Prince reminds us of the value of curiosity and inquisitiveness.

I only got around to reading the original novella by Antoine de Saint-Exupery (translated into English) recently. Perhaps it’s for the best that I read this story for the first time as an adult, generally, and as a parent, specifically. If I had only read this novella as a child myself, I may have only identified with the perspective of the little prince. Of course grown-ups don’t understand. But, reading through this tale as an adult, I can better appreciate how I may have once had the same sense of wonder and how I may have lost it over the years.

As an aside, while the 2015 animated movie is beautiful in its own right, I prefer the book. The movie adds what I feel is an unnecessary layer to the narrative. And it goes a little too far off the deep end toward the end. The book is comparatively lighter and more somber. It’s like a meditation.

When we were kids, relatively speaking, we were free from the shackles of daily responsibility. We didn’t have mortgages to pay. We didn’t have to maintain an air of respectability and maturity about us. Instead, we did something because it was fun, not because we had to do it or were supposed to do it. As adults, we lose sight of this, because we cannot see much of what has the greatest value.

Speaking for myself, taking some time off work for parental leave really gave me the opportunity to reflect on what is truly important and valuable in my life. I was able to focus more on what is truly essential. Does it really matter that much if I missed out on a bit of income for a few weeks if it meant I could spend more quality time with my family? Free (as best I could) from the self-inflicted guilt I usually get when I choose not to work for a time?

“Men have forgotten this basic truth,” said the fox. “But you must not forget it. For what you have tamed, you become responsible forever. You are responsible for your rose…”

In addition to the lessons of boundless curiosity and valuing what should be valued most, the little prince also reminds us of the importance of responsibility. Before we decide to jump from planet to planet, we must recognize the obligation we have to those in our care. The little prince left his rose to pursue his own adventures. He forgot that it wasn’t just about him. We are responsible for our loved ones.

Let’s stay curious. Pause And take better care of one another.

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