Monthly Archives: March 2012

life well lived

Life Well Lived: Child Happiness

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Its time for another Life Well Lived Getting Happy panel!

This time, we want to hear more from our readers. How do you teach the children in your life happiness? Please share your best tools and tips in the comments below.

073: Peek-A-Boo
I made a little friend on a flight.

A friend recently posted a picture on her Facebook wall that contained a quote:

“Children are happy because they don’t have a file in their minds called “All the Things That Could Go Wrong.” ― Marianne Williamson

I think that pretty much says it all. While we want to teach children right from wrong, and I am firm believer we need to realize our actions have consequences, there is no reason to squash a child’s joy based on the fears we hold ourselves.

When my nephew was born, suddenly the world took a whole new feel. Suddenly I was seeing wonder and joy in things I had been taking for granted. He was teaching ME happiness!

I, personally, think that the best way to reach children happiness is by learning it from them, and then emulating it back at them. When they laugh at a puppy being silly, laugh with them. See the beauty and wonder in Christmas lights instead of fussing about how much work it takes to put them up. Sit down and color with them.

Children need discipline and structure in their lives. But they also need the opportunity to just be kids… and maybe parents need that opportunity right with them.

What are your thoughts? Leave your thoughts here and join me in the discussion on the main page for this topic on BlogHer. Also, don’t miss your chance to win a Kindle Fire in the Life Well Lived Sweepstakes!

general-post, NaBloPoMo

Uncertainty

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If you want to hear God laugh, tell him your plans.

You can make plans, but life is full of uncertainties. You can try to be in control, but in reality… you aren’t.

There is one thing that is a given about being married to a musician, and that is uncertainty in general. You never know when there will be a show added, making planning big things difficult. For example, this will more than likely be the first Easter my husband and I won’t spend together due to a show added on Good Friday. I felt it was certain we’d spend the day together, and instead we probably won’t. It is what is is. You also never know when a show will be canceled, making it impossible to know for sure how much money you’ll have coming in by the end of the month.

Spring is upon us, and as such the weather is growing volatile. I’m sitting here loading and reloading weather reports for tomorrow. What are the chances of tornadoes around Nashville? Will my house still be there in the evening? Will my truck be covered in hail dents? All the predictions in the world are good to have, but at the end of the day… we can’t know what is going to happen until it does.

You apply for a job. You work hard on a project. You give everything your all. However, you never really know how any of it will be received. Once again, uncertainty reigns.

What matters is how you handle the uncertainty. I don’t LIKE it, but its a fact of life. I like to prepare myself for every possibility, so I am as ready as I can be for whatever happens. Sometimes you CAN’T prepare. Sometimes life throws you a curve ball that you couldn’t have seen coming. And its in those moments you have to take it a minute at a time, and just do your best to handle it with strength and grace.

NaBloPoMo March 1st writing prompt: How do you feel about uncertainty? Is it exciting or scary? [here]