My life has been a bit crazy lately. Work has been nuts, we’re doing a home redesign, and one night as I was ticking through the growing to do list in my head, a thought came to me. As I work— sometimes to the point of exhaustion-- to complete the items on my to do list, somehow the list always seems to regenerate. Laundry is done? Great— by the end of the day, there will be |
There’s always one more thing to do… the job is never done. It was then that I realized: I’m wasting too many hours of my precious life on the tedious chores that will always continue to pop up. So, instead of continuing to push myself through the never-ending list of chores that before felt so critical, I crumpled up that mental list and sat on the couch.
I don’t mean I took a little break to sit down for a minute. I mean I took three hours and just soaked in the feeling of complete and total relaxation as I snuggled with my family. And then I decided to try something cool: I decided to take a poll. This, my friends, is part one of a two-part series on happiness and perspective. While in the middle of life— surrounded by the pressures of a job, a young family, etc etc— I wondered if our perspective on happiness is tainted.
What makes a child happy? What makes a senior happy? I decided to find out. Perhaps in the beginning of life on Earth-- and as we near the end of it-- we have more (and, I might argue, a better) perspective.
So— what does make a child happy? The little things. The simple things. The things that, as adults, we often overlook in our busy day-to-day lives. I took a completely informal poll among friends’ young children. All are under the age of five. What do they say— in their own words— makes them happy?
Playing on the playground!
Playing with mama and dada… and when they read to me!
Daycare. Seeing my friends and buddy (dog).
Walking. Going to Target.
Books.
Bubbles. And cheese sticks, probably!
Chocolate. The park. Going to the bounce house. Playing with mommy and daddy.
Hot potato. Most of all, my stuffies (stuffed animals)!
Hugging.
Snuggling with mama.
It was refreshing just to READ about these things, don’t you agree? Happiness is all about perspective. Today, join me in making an effort to see the world through a child’s eyes. No stress, no to do list… just simple, living-in-the-moment happiness. And stay tuned for the upcoming post on happiness and perspective— from the viewpoint of those with more life experience— seniors!
In the meantime, what about you— what makes you happiest? Comment below-- I’d love to hear!
And... don't miss Happiness and Perspective: Part 2!