Today was definitely a skirt day. My reasoning behind this decision:
#1) I went to the Provo temple this afternoon... temple days are always skirt days C:
#2) My co-worker's wedding reception was tonight... congratulations jon and katie!
aaand
#3) I just darn-well felt like it! ...weather-wise, today was a perfect day!
So with a smile on my face and a bright, bold-colored, flowered print skirt on my body I took on the world. All in all:
Life is so incredibly beautiful.
Sometimes I can't even stand it; I burst out into song and dance regardless of where I am or who I am with. There is some impeccable aesthetic-high that I feel whenever the sky is perfectly blue. man- the sky just looks perfect regardless of season when it is clear and blue. In the summer, the green trees compliment the blue in the most fresh of ways... just look out your window and try to find colors that match more naturally. In the fall, the red/orange/yellow in the trees and on the mountains make the earth seem like a painter's pallet. In the winter, the sun and the sky make the snowflakes look like diamonds; I feel like a princess whenever I have the chance to sit by a warm fire watching diamonds float gracefully towards the ground. Last but certainly not least, in the springtime, the sky looks like a painted Easter egg; pastel blue with perfect, fluffy, white clouds floating effortlessly on by. mmmmmmmhmm, i love the sky.
Weather-wise, today was a perfect day! This afternoon some friends and I went to the park and we played in the perfect weather. The sun just warm enough to make it feel like summer and the breeze juuuuust slight enough to minimize the sweat factor. Something about summertime makes me feel like a little kid again. We splashed in the fountain and played under-dog on the swings; yep, being a kid rocks.
I was talking with my roommate the other day about becoming more child-like. In the scriptures we are told to become as a little child and I absolutely agree. Growing up I did not understand that concept... i am being told right and left to grow up and take on responsibility, I thought to myself, how am i supposed to become as a little child? I definitely don't think that I have it all figured out, but I have a pretty solid foundation of an understanding to build on... let me attempt to explain.
I was a nanny for a wonderful, beautiful family for a while. In that time I was able to very closely observe the way that children thought and viewed life. It is near impossible to capture didactically, but there are a few rules that I have come to live by based off of my experiences [i am not suggesting that i am perfect at any of these things... but i am trying]:
#1) Live, Just Do It- I know how hard it is to put my heart on the line only to have it broken. I know how real disappointment feels when you look into the eyes of someone that is hurting because of something you have done. red alert: I am not perfect... but my lack of perfection should not hold me back from trying new and potentially hard things! I watched the little boy, James, learn to walk up the stairs. His face firm with determination as he began crawling and day by day grew strong enough to take the stairs one step at a time. I cannot imagine how daunting the stairs looked to him; steps half his height, the only two things he had to hold on to were the stair railing spokes and my two fingers. Imagine staring one of your challenges in the face- standing small next to your personal daunting staircase. In these times, with fear of falling and failing, grab onto whatever you can and go for it.
#2) Love and Trust, You Need 'Em- Children are so completely unafraid to love and trust. I remember one time after not being able to watch them for a while, I came over and Morgan was very opposed to the idea of her parents leaving. She was sitting on the floor crying so I sat down next to her and asked, "morgan, can i hold you?" Morgan sheepishly nodded and I wrapped her as close and tight as I could, her warm body close to mine... and there she sat crying. Though she did not really want me there, she allowed me enter her bubble and within minutes I was making her laugh. Her red eyes scrunched with smile lines the second she forgot about being sad. Morgan is a perfect example of straight-up love... and here is why: she doesn't think about ulterior motives. She doesn't protect her heart from events that haven't even happened yet. She just lets life flow through her and she just... trusts people. When you think about it, children don't have any other choice but to love and trust. Children would die in infancy if they refused adult help- it is true! We, as adults, need to realize that life can be so much richer if we could only knock down some of our walls and actually let people in.
#3) There is Joy, Find It- Have you ever looked through a child's toy box? You may find expensive toys with lights and music and sparkly gizmos that spin. You are also likely to find water bottle caps and straws and other run-of-the-mill household items. For the longest time I thought, why do parents let their kids play with this trash? But I think I understand better now... children are just happy to have something to play with. Children don't look at a balloon string and think, what junk, time to throw this away, they view the string as a new stuffed animal leash or a ribbon to float in the wind. There is so much we can learn from this example! Think about the last time you thought negatively about your house or car or backpack? I propose that instead of thinking negatively about all of these things that we just be grateful that we have a house! Be grateful that we have a car! And be grateful that we have a backpack! Yes, they may not be as fancy or new as our neighbors... but in the grand scheme of things... who cares?
Children really know how to keep it simple: they live, love and trust, find joy in the simple things, and that is pretty much it. I love that. I know I am still learning how to become more like a little child. I am so grateful that I have little balls of energy and joy [aka-children] to look up to as my example.
Like I said earlier... life is so incredibly beautiful...
and i am so grateful that i have this chance to live, love, and learn.
-g
ps- I got a bit of inspiration for a new song. It is a two-liner right now, but I am excited for the potential...
"and I don't know what I've done to deserve
all that the scriptures tell me I'm worth."
We'll see where it goes from here... C:
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