Day 7

Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.” - Robert Brault

Children find such joy from playing and being in the moment. There is a lot we can learn from children about living mindfully.  After all, children tend to do this naturally. Yesterday I had the opportunity to attend my grandson Brody's 7th birthday party. I spent the day with him, Ellie, who is 4 and Cade who is 19 months (although he's behind due to being a heart baby). I few things I noticed:

Children don't mind being the center of attention. Brody was a happy, proud birthday boy!

Children are fully engaged when playing and being with their friends. For the entire birthday party Brody and his friends were playing hard and were fully engaged in what they were doing.

Children are open about their feelings. If someone was 'out' in their Capture the Flag game, you could see their disappointment. But, when it was time for a new round, they were up and excited to be playing again.

Children are comfortable doing their own thing. They don't worry about what others think. I took Ellie a hand-me-down summer dress thinking it would be put away until summer. But she caught sight of it and wanted to wear it. Of course, because it was sleeveless, her mom told her not to wear it. Not to be deterred, she put a long sleeve dress on over the top of the sleeveless one. Throughout the party she alternated between the two. She was unconcerned about what anyone thought.

Children will try new things. Ellie wants to start dance, so she got new ballet slippers yesterday. Last night she put them on with her pink leggings and leotard and began dancing away.


These are just a few things we can learn from kids about living mindfully! Happy New Year to everyone! Don't forget to enjoy the year as a kid would!