To the Simple Things in Life

My friend’s son turned 6 this week. She didn’t feel that she gave him the best birthday, after all, school got cancelled due to weather and she did not take him outside to play but he got a new toy that she spent time with him playing with and he got to go to his favorite restaurant for dinner. At the end of the day my friend was feeling like she wished she could have done more for his birthday as he will never be 6 again. She asked him that night on a scale of 1-10 how his birthday was, and expecting him to not give a high score, he actually replied, “A 12!” She was amazed.

When she told me that story it brought me back 10 years ago to my own child being 6. She was so excited about life and always made me laugh and showed how precious life is and how important it is to have fun!! I love that age! Fast forward to now and she is suffering from anxiety and depression. What happened? I think back to the days when she was 6. 7, 8 and happy! I realize she made my mundane life fun. She showed me the importance of the little things in life and I could easily make her smile.

We once drove to a gravel road and picked wildflowers in the ditch. She loved that! Now if I tried something as simple as that to make her smile she would give me that strange look that says, “Give it up Mom! You don’t understand me!” And then she would excuse herself from my presence.

I would like to think, what did I do wrong? But I realize there is a time in our lives where the simple things don’t matter to us anymore and they don’t make us happy. We want more. We lose site of what is important. Then at that point we keep looking outside of ourselves, searching for answers, wondering when we will feel fulfilled. Year after year we get more stuff but still feel incomplete. We wonder who or what will fill us up and make us happy. We try on many people and many things and while we feel satisfied for a while eventually the feeling fades and we are left with the memory of what was.

Every once in a while you find a human who makes you feel 6 again. You do silly things with them or simple fun things. Some times its a friend you haven’t seen in a while, some times its a new romantic relationship, sometimes we are given the chance to see through the eyes of a child again when we are parents, grandparents, a caretaker. And that is such a blessing. The BLISS comes through.

I have been meditating every day for the past 2 weeks. I was reading a book where the author stated she meditates every day even for just 5 minutes. I decided that upon wakening I could easily take a few minutes before getting up to meditate. I am still in a calm state so it should not be too hard for me to close my eyes (it is still dark in my room) and just take a moment to clear my mind.

Now what have I discovered doing this? Well, I don’t complain as much anymore. I guess because I am getting in touch with the creative realm again so I think more about what I want not what I don’t want. I go to many different places every day for my job and more people are waving to me and saying hi. I wondered why but then I realized I have a friendly smile on my face as I walk around. I am sure it is inviting to others. I also speak more vibrantly and make jokes and laugh at them. My conversations with others are more light. I wasn’t being this way nor feeling this way just a few weeks ago but I got inspired by the book and I also realized I need to change my attitude. It was getting pretty negative and that is not good for my teenager. She is already dealing with the awkward feelings of being a teenager and emotional roller coaster that comes at that age.

I am trying to get her too to meditate but she just looks at me like, Why would I do that? It’s not going to work. So I have been praying over her which she has allowed me to do and I think it is helping her. She doesn’t say but a few weeks ago she didn’t really like me doing it now when I ask if I can pray over her, she says yes.

It’s just a quick prayer and nothing too deep. But it’s the best thing I can do now to help her realize there is an energy deeper than us that operates within if we allow it to. It helps us when we ask it to and guides us to our greatness if we are willing to listen to it.

So I ask you, please take a moment at the quiet-est part of your day and put your hand over your heart and just ask spirit to guide you. Then take a pause and try to meditate for at least a minute or two. You will see changes as you go through your day.

This will help you get to your BLISS!