ADVICE FOR KIDS OF ALL AGES

While this might seem like simple advice for kids of all ages, I believe it can be an ideal we all can live by.  As the world continues to quicken at an alarming pace, we must always remember that the friendships we have today are the memories we’ll cherish tomorrow.

Going a bit further with this thought, I believe the only thing that matters in life is how deeply we can not only FEEL and accept our feelings of love for ourselves and others, but how deeply we can open up and share those feelings with the rest of the world…no matter who they are.

Why not live a life where love is the order of each and every day?  Why not live a life where we actively look for more ways to show, share, and accept love?  As a new father, I am constantly amazed at how openly my daughter loves.  She hasn’t yet learned the disability of hiding her feelings of love and constantly expresses it for anyone who enters her life.

Yesterday we went on an adventure down to the Santa Monica Pier so Emery could ride the carousel.  The absolute joy she has riding the bunny, which goes “up and down, up and down,” is something that can make anyone smile.  As I watch others watching her having so much fun, it too makes me smile, but that’s not the point of this posting.  The point is this —

Walking back to the car and on our way to the swings, which she affectionately refers to as WEEEEEEE, we passed a very strange looking man playing a guitar.  The man had this weird headband on, a scarf over his face, dark glasses, and carried the grime of living on the streets of Santa Monica.  Normally, I would stop and let her listen to someone trying to share their talent with the rest of us, but I judged this man on his appearance and kept on walking.  It was at this point when Emery leaned over my shoulder, put out her hand towards him and said “Hello Guy.”

The action immediately made me think of how I judged the man by his appearance and not on who he was.  Perhaps he too was a father and had lost his way somehow, ending up on the streets playing his guitar for change.  Maybe he wasn’t the scary man I had judged him to be, or maybe he was, I don’t know.  Yes, we all need to be cautious of strangers, but I am thankful for the love my daughter showed this man.  I am thankful for the lessons she continues to teach me about love.  My brother always told me that when I finally had kids, I would experience a level of love unlike anything before.  I believe that he is right.