I have never been the type to immerse myself in getting crafty and setting up for holidays like Easter, but this past weekend has completely opened up my mind. Mostly I’m too busy with everything else I have going on that the holiday is a day to relax but I’ve just never gotten into putting a lot of energy into making it AMAZING. This year was different, maybe it is because my daughter, Stella is now three-and-a-half years old or maybe it’s because Pintrest makes being crafty easy. Whatever the reason, I jumped in and didn’t look back. When I saw the twinkle in my daughter’s eyes, I had an epiphany. The awe and wonder of a child, even for the simplest things in life, is truly a beautiful thing. I got more and more excited about the holidays and wondered, what if we applied this same perception of being elated over the simple pleasures in life? How our lives would be.
What if we lived with the awe and wonder children have in life everyday? Can you imagine how different our approach to things would be in life?
This past Sunday for Easter, I decided to hide eggs throughout our house and leave a cute basket in Stella’s room filled with the goodies we recommended on the blog. Every single time she found a hidden egg, she screamed with excitement and you could feel the happiness radiate off her. It was as if everything she found was the best thing she had ever seen because there is this imaginary thing called the Easter Bunny. What you don’t know is that I put the same piece of chocolate in every egg that she found. But when she found the egg, she had to open it, see the piece of chocolate and then open the wrapper to make sure it was chocolate. To her it was about the discovery and every piece was special. To most adults, we might open the egg, but then we would notice it’s the same piece of chocolate and set it aside rather than investigate and get excited. See, kids live in their imagination. They have have no boundaries in what their little wondrous minds can conjure up. And as parents, we want to foster that imagination. We could tear a page out of their book. That simple manifestation of a child’s wonder can lead to amazing things that can help us in our life with our goals and visions. I mean, what if we train ourselves to have that same sense of wonder? What would happen to our lives? To our future?
If we believe that our dreams really could come true and let our visions manifest, we can open ourselves up to new possibilities we never thought could happen.
One thing that we all face as adults is the propensity to become cynical. We do not believe that we can accomplish things because we are not good enough or smart enough or have the right background. But if you look at children, it doesn’t matter how old they are or where they were born or what they are currently capable of doing, if they are fascinated, they go for it and continue to pursue what catches their attention. Their awe and wonder overcomes any sort of fear they may posses. They don’t think of what can happen, what might happen, what’s the risk level. Instead, they truck forward with their little hands and feet and big, adventurous minds.
So for me, it’s been an eye opener having a three-and-a-half year old. My daughter has truly been a blessing not just with the fun times but how she has opened up my mind in how I approach life. Every day I observe her interactions, every day I become more accustomed to having a new perception of how we should live. If we are able to just see life through the eyes of a child, we would be more apt to accomplishing more. It’s truly extraordinary if you take a moment to try it yourself.
If you don’t like your circumstance, change how you perceive it.
Don’t get stuck in one way of thinking. Make it a conscious effort to open up your mind like children do. I can guarantee you, you will find new ways to tackle the world.
