I sit here listening to the gentle hum of a sound machine as my little girl naps in her crib and smiles in her sleep. What more could I want? This is the lesson people have been trying to impart for so many years. But why do so few people heed this advice and really make the connection that it doesn't matter the car they drive, who they know or what they wear? I remember a time not too distant where I felt I needed to be seen in the coolest clubs, wear name brand clothes, or drive a fancy car. Now I can't tell you what club is cool, I drive a Ford, my clothes are mostly from Costco... and I couldn't be happier! Gone are the nights of expensive drinking, next day hangovers and seeing a lot of people, some of whom I didn't care too much for in the first place.
It just saddens me to think that many people don't really learn this lesson until later in life. They spend a lifetime trying to solve the mysteries of the world when in reality all they need to do is step back and realize that the ingredients for a good life are mostly there for the taking. The hard part is coming to the realization that it takes a lot of effort to cultivate and maintain positive relationships. That relationships aren't one sided or temporary. That we must be the kind of person we want to meet to attract quality people.
What makes this switch in us? Why aren't we built with this lesson? I firmly believe it is an internal comfort with ourselves and the realization that we have to make ourselves happy and not search in vain for external things to make us happy. Having a child has taught me this very important lesson. Her innocence, laughter and joy in the tiniest things remind me that simplicity is best and adults just muck up the works by complicating life. I wish I would've learned this lesson so much faster.
I guess Mom, Dad and the grandparents were right... Mark that one down.
Sock puppet time; the best!
