Day 5 - of 30 Days of Happiness...

Day 5 - observe or spend time with someone under 6 and think about and watch how they view life.

I spent time with my favorite little toddler today....and yes I cheated....when I made the list I knew Thursday was my Anna day. :) Anna is my youngest granddaugther and she is 3 years old. She is also very very fun to observe because she is a little 'sanquine".

So you may ask - what does this have to do with happiness...well you wouldn't ask that if you were around children very much or possibly you are around them too much :) but children know how to be happy - they don't have to talk themselves into it, they don't have to choose to be, they don't even really think about it - they just are!

The following are the observations I made today of someone under 6 and what we can all learn from a child....

1. They are in the "moment" - three year olds don't worry about what someone did or said to them yesterday (or one hour ago or that matter) or what if _____happens tomorrow. And if something does upset them such as sister has a toy she wants or she wants a piece of candy and the answer was no...well they get over it in about 2 minutes and it's forgotten. Life is too exciting and too many things to enjoy for a three year old to worry about anything but what is happening right now. Oh, if i could stay in the moment like that!
2. They see everything as amazing and wonderful, even the simple things - all the grandkids where at our house on Sunday - because of the time change it was dark early and they were still playing outside - we have white lights that line our screened in porch - just simple christmas ones - I turned them on for the first time this year and Kaitlyn (5 y.o.) runs in with wide eyes and a huge grin and says almost in a whisper, "Oh Nana! they are beautiful!" I thought how wonderful life would be if we could keep the sense of wonder as we get older.
3. They are always ready to play and have fun! - if you have been around a child for any length of time you know that they can easily move from doing a task to having a good time. They aren't afraid to laugh out loud, run and jump and fall on the ground giggling. I wonder how happy we would be if we did that once a day. :)
4. They know how to forgive - Children do get upset and angry sometimes but I have noticed it's for a very short time - they quickly get over it and show you they love you right away.
5. They love you unconditionally - children love you with a love that comes straight from the heart, without an preconditions or expectations. They say "I Love You" with out a hesitation or thought just because thats just how they feel
6. They smile even if they are the only one - we had a bridal shower for my future daughter in love a couple weeks ago and everyone was very serious watching Sarah open presents when Anna just started to laugh and had the biggest grin on her face - everyone looked her way and began to laugh and smile -

I really could go on with many more observations but these are my top ones. We can learn so much from our little ones. They do still have such pure innocent hearts and even though we can no longer just naturally be so open and free we can incorporate more of these qualities in to our lives and as we do I believe we will be happier and more full of joy. Look at them - they are!

You will never get into God's kingdom unless you enter it like a child!"Luke 18:17 (Contemporary English Version)

Tommow: Start a conversation with a stranger