Day 10: Think Small
It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s a…tree! As children experience each day, they observe all the nuances in a perpetual attempt to understand and order their world. Delighting in each small encounter, this is the magical perspective of a child.
Academy Award-winning actress Julia Roberts has said she loved bringing her three young children around the world when filming “Eat, Pray, Love” because everything amazed them. She recounted how her little ones would exuberantly proclaim, “Tree!…” each and every time they passed a tree when driving along the countryside.
In her book Medical Myths That Can Kill You, Dr. Nancy Snyderman shares an anecdote of spending a morning with her young son, Charlie, in their backyard. When they saw a black butterfly land on a yellow flower, Charlie commented, “This is today’s gift.” Since that moment, Snyderman tries to intentionally take in a small detail of the world each day, and writes:
“Life may throw us off balance, and our resources may run thin, but if we remember to recognize even the smallest of things—those that remind us of how lucky we are to be breathing—then we have found today’s gift….Don’t let your preparations for tomorrow get in your way of today. Enjoy what happens in your life now, remember what matters, and gather up the gifts of gratitude. They will refresh your soul.”
What small things are you letting pass by unnoticed? What small things do your children always notice? Please leave a Comment and Share.
For more powerful ways to reduce stress and its negative effects, be sure to review the previous days:
