This video is of a four year old talking about how she likes everything. It's really adorable, and my initial reaction was to want to watch it again and again. But then I got thinking.When I was younger, I definitely liked stuff a lot more than I do now.
As we get older, we find a lot more to complain about and become more picky. I had some pretty traumatizing experiences as a 4 year old, and yet all I remember is lots of fun and good times. As my friends and I spent our time pretending that we were fairies, my baby brother was suffering from cancer.
I'd really love to get my younger perspective on life back, because these days I find myself making a lot of complaints. Wow, my nail polish is chipped UGH WHAT AM I GOING TO DO. Well, when I was four I would have been super excited that I was wearing nail polish and I probably would have been the coolest girl in preschool.
So often we look at the negative side of a situation instead of appreciating the fact that the situation even exists. It can be hard to look on the bright side because we just aren't used to it, but it's something I'm trying to do. I want to see the beauty in the world instead of the few unpleasant bits.
Think about Jessica, the little girl in the video. She starts off by saying that her whole house is great, and she can do anything good. Then she lists all the stuff she likes, including everything, her hair, her haircuts, and her whole house. Her sweet enthusiasm is really incredibly motivating. When I feel tired, I sometimes watch this video to get myself pumped up about life again.
So what I'm saying is this. Look on the bright side. Appreciate things like you would have when you were a toddler. I'm pretty sure we'd all be a lot happier with our lives if we did that.
This video is so adorable! I love it. She is so optimistic about EVERYTHING. I like the fact that you say we should look at the bright side -- find a silver lining if you will. Then again, if I currently though about teething toys like I did when I was a small toddler, I would be a really weird highschooler.
ReplyDeleteI think that getting older means that you have a more well-rounded view on everything, and that we go through phases of discovering that not everything is as happy and perfect like it was when we were children. What we have to do is accept that. Looking at the bright side is good as well, as it keeps us hopeful during times when things are difficult.
Your post makes a good point, and I look forward to watching the video (which I heard about somewhere recently – I guess it's a meme) when I'm not subbing for Latin class.
ReplyDeleteOne bit of constructive criticism: you mention your baby brother's cancer, then never bring it up again. I find myself reaching the end of the last paragraph worrying about this person. If he made a complete recovery, give us that bit of good news. If not, I'm so sorry, and you need to find a way to address this briefly and seriously, at some point in the post.
Just to clear things up, my brother is now a healthy 12-year-old.
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