The Simple Life

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Ah...the simple life!

We know our dog isn't particularly clever. And she's certainly not energetic. But she's mastered the art of getting what she wants in a quiet yet persuasive way.

If she wants food, Sila lies by her plate until one of us gets fed up of tripping over her and feeds her. If she's outside wanting to come in, Sila sits by the glass door and looks at us directly in the eye with her mournful look until one of us opens the door. If she wants to be petted, Sila flops in front of each of us in turn and waits patiently until one of us pets her.

Sila's needs are few. Water, food, (short) walks, and (long) petting sessions. That's it; that's all she needs to be happy. And because her needs are few, she's able to concentrate her energies ensuring they're fulfilled.

So...I wonder if we'd be happier with fewer needs so we could concentrate our energies fulfilling them.

When our needs are few

we can focus on fulfilling them.

Who's Watching Whom?

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While looking at nature, do you sometimes wonder who's watching whom?

In the last 13 years, I can't count how many thousands of wild animals we've fed; swans, geese, ducks, quail, squirrels, prairie dogs, chipmunks, javelina, and deer to name a few. So often I've felt that the animals have seen us way before we've seen them. And so often I've felt if we could speak 'animal' we'd hear,"Hey, here come some of ours. Quick, look cute!" Because I swear they're waiting for us when we arrive. And I swear that they're the ones in control.

Then I wonder how often does this sort of thing happen in our day-to-day life. How often have our children finagled something by making us believe it was our idea? How often have our bosses persuaded us to take on an extra project by pandering to our egos? How often have our friends guided us in a particular direction by building our self-esteems? How often are we really 'in control'?

I'm not suggesting any of these things are bad; I'm just asking who's watching whom?  

Who's watching whom?

Nature Speaks

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Why is it that many people believe things have to be fancy and grand to be worthwhile?

Someone commented to me this week that they, too, could take pretty photos to write about if they could go to Africa, China, India, and other places. But isn't that a bit of a cop-out? Can't we take beautiful photos of interesting subjects in our own backyards and public parks? Good photos are not dependent on exotic places and the subject matter certainly doesn't have to be anything fancy or grand to inspire thought. For example, this photo of colorful flowers against a blue sky was taken at a local park; and to me, it's a reminder of how nature speaks volumes with its simplicity.

But we live in societies where it's believed fancy and grand is better. Look at the extravagant birthday parties many children receive today. Or the amount of gifts under our Christmas trees. Or the compulsion many feel to spend on things they can't afford. Don't you feel sometimes that life's a bit out of whack?

Nature speaks loudly...but are we listening?

Nature speaks loudly

but are we listening?

A Lesson from...Rhinos

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Many people believe rhinos are cranky creatures who attack for no reason. However, this isn't true.

Rhinos have very poor eyesight and become frightened easily; so usually, they're not attacking but running away. I've seen white rhinos frightened by butterflies; but if you have 4-5 tons of animal running toward you at speeds up to 40 miles per hour it's easy to misinterpret what's happening and believe you're being attacked. Female white rhinos are often credited as being particularly cranky, But ponder this; how do we react when we feel our child is threatened? And when you consider that female rhinos are pregnant for 16 months and give birth to a whopping 100-140 pound baby, perhaps they've earned the right to be cranky!

I wonder if some people are judged similarly to rhinos. Do we incorrectly label them as cranky and likely to attack when, in reality, they're responding to something else? If we knew what they were responding to would our judgement be different? Or, perhaps, if we knew what they were responding to would we think they'd earned the right to be cranky?

I certainly hope we can all remember the rhino and learn not to judge without having all the facts.

Let's not judge

without all the facts.

Happy Moments

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Even when life is challenging, you can find happy moments to make you smile if you look for them.

We all know what those moments look like; a beautiful sunset, your children laughing together (my favorite), a perfect tree, visiting with a loved one, morning dew sparkling in the sun. The list goes on and on and is different for different people. Whatever those happy moments are for you, I believe wholeheartedly that taking stock of them helps keep you centered during those other, not-so-happy times. And I'm quickly learning that they help immensely during those tween/teen years!!

I wonder how our lives would change if we were always on the lookout for these happy moments to stockpile. Would we become more patient with our children and more appreciative of life in general?

Perhaps we should try it to find out.

Life is full of happy moments

if we look for them.

Enjoy the NOW

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Why do we tend to set future goals for our children rather than enjoying their current accomplishments?

Why do we say, "You scored 18/20 on the test? Maybe next time you'll get 19/10" and not, "Wow! You got 18/10; well done!"
Why do we say, "You did that in 45 seconds? Maybe next time you'll do it in 40!" and not, "How wonderful that you did it in 45 seconds!"
In other words, why don't we celebrate NOW before looking at LATER?

Our son (then 6) taught me this lesson when he took a photo of elephant rock in Utah. The photographer in me commented, "That's great. But next time, if you stand with your back to the sun you won't have these lines here." Our son looked at me as if I was nuts and commented, "But mama, it's perfect. It's raining rainbows on the elephant!" Why couldn't I have said that?

I now strive to enjoy each rainbow moment and wanted to share this perfect photo with you.

Enjoy each rainbow moment.

Different is Good

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Years ago, because their roast beef sandwiches were competing with burgers, Arby's used the slogan 'Different is Good.'

Don't you think that's a slogan we should foster in our children? If adults model acceptance and celebration of differences, our children will learn to do so also. Then, perhaps, there wouldn't be this desire for neon soccer cleats, name-brand sneakers, and the latest trend in clothing just because 'everyone else has them!' We all need to 'belong'...but can't we belong AND wear different clothing?

My concern is if we can't help children accept differences in clothing then what chance to we have helping them accept differences in skin color, culture, religion, and everything else that makes us different? Let's remember that the seeds we sow in childhood are reaped in adulthood. I hope we're planting the 'different is good' seed - don't you?

Different is good.