A famous quote once spoken by Henry James, “Try to be one of the people on whom nothing is lost,” is an essential piece of advice to which people across the universe should follow. The phrase “nothing is lost” in the quote can be interpreted in many ways, however I believe that it applies to what a person does or does not observe in the world around them. Especially in our country, the human race has become so customized to a stressful and fast-paced life filled with the newest technology that we forget to take the time to observe the natural beauty around us. Surprisingly, I have learned that children are the closest followers of this advice. The innocence and naivety of children truly allows them to take in everything in the world around them, rather than focus on material wants that tend to be the focus of most adults. One day, I was babysitting for my three- year old neighbor when he asked me if we could go for a walk to the beach. We packed up all of our beach gear and started on our journey down the road. As we walked along the road I concerned myself with matters such as whether my cell phone was charged, if I had enough money to pay for ice cream, and how much further I would have to walk while carrying uncomfortable chairs before we finally reached our destination. To my dismay, my little friend Nicholas stopped every ten feet and began to point out things such as an anthill, a seagull, and a thorny plant that he soon discovered was painful to touch. I continued to rush him along, somewhat annoyed at the constant stopping and questioning. As he hurried to keep up with me, I took a quick glance down at his face and was amazed at his expression. Nicholas was astounded at the littlest things, things I happened to take for granted every single day. I had walked down that very road an infinite number of times and had not once noticed any of the things that Nicholas was truly in awe of. Was my ignorance of all of these intriguing things simply a natural effect of growing older, or had I learned to no longer value this beauty that my little friend found fascinating? My conviction is that it is a combination of both. Although I definitely still do value the things that Nicholas pointed out to me, I simply do not even notice them anymore. I have become another stressed out adult, accustomed to running from one job to the next and never taking the time to relax and merely take in my surroundings. Fortunately for me, Nicholas taught me that it is necessary to take a couple stops along the road of life so that “nothing would be lost” on me.