IF I MEET UP THIS WEEK with a reasonably good fairy who has time on her hands and a few random wishes to spare, here’s what I’d propose: I’d like to spend a warm summer afternoon as a kid again!
For supplies I’d need a garden hose with an adjustable nozzle, and nobody around to growl at me for wasting water.
Give me an open space with dirt, sand, gravel, and a few rocks. I’ll need a small shovel, a bucket, a few empty cans – and stand back. Just equip me. I can take it from there. I know what to do. Oh, and a nearby glass of orange-juice would be fine. And maybe a frozen Mars Bar could be delivered.
Then, after I’d grown tired of mud and wet, and was shivery cold, I’d need a big towel to dry off with – one that had been hanging in the sun all afternoon.
Next I’d like to have a wide patch of green lawn. A shade tree with a rope-swing hanging from it. An assortment of big cardboard boxes, and a couple of old sheets, some sticky tape, and a not-too-sharp pocketknife. Without warnings about the knife.
Later I’d need a plate of warm biscuits and some cold milk. Enough intake to skip dinner without complaint. And nobody to tell me I was ruining my appetite.
After dark I’d like to have matches and enough kindling to make a small fire out there in the dirt, and fool around with flaming sticks. With nobody to tell me to be careful. Then, when the fire burned down, I’d need a big serious adult-quality torch with fresh batteries.
(Re-reading this, I notice there’s something missing – a playmate or two. All this equipment, food, and activity goes better with good company.)
To continue … My friends and I would make monster faces with the torch, chase cats and dogs, and run around in the dark playing some nameless game without rules or reasons or care.
Finally, when I fell asleep, exhausted, out on the lawn, I’d like someone to take me in their arms, carry me upstairs, and tuck me into bed – between sheets that had been washed and hung out in the sun all day.
That’s what I want. Not so much, really. But also a great deal.
If you know a reasonably good fairy with time on her hands and a few random wishes to grant, give her my name. Tell her I’m here, ready …
ROBERT FULGHUM – WWW.ROBERTFULGHUM.COM
DON’T ASK
Don’t ask what the world needs;
ask what makes you come alive,
then go and do that,
because what the world needs
is people who
have come
ALIVE.
JOHN ELDREDGE – ‘WILD AT HEART’
POINT OF VIEW
The
man
who
views
the
world
at
50
the
same
as
he
did
at
20
has
wasted
30
years
of
his
life.
MUHAMMAD ALI
HOW NOT TO BE LONELY:
If you drink too much, stop it.
If you’re boring, stop it.
If you’re argumentative, stop it.
If you’re horrible to your mother, stop it.
Stop thinking about yourself and your
problems, and think how you can
contribute to other people’s lives.
The moment you start giving,
other people will be drawn to you.
PETA MATHIAS – ‘CAN WE HELP IT IF WE’RE FABULOUS?’
THE GOOD NEWS GIRL
I stopped by our local shop the other day to get a newspaper and a snack. The young woman at the counter said, “That’ll be five dollars, please,” and as I reached into my wallet, I couldn’t help noticing the big smile on her face.
She glanced down at the paper I was buying and said, “I’m sick and tired of all this negative stuff on the front pages. I want to read some good news for a change.” She then said, “In fact, I think someone should publish a Good News newspaper – with cool stories about people overcoming problems and doing good things for others. I’d buy one every day!”
She thanked me for coming in and said, “Maybe we’ll get lucky tomorrow; maybe we’ll get some good news,” and she laughed. She made my day.
The following week I dropped by the same shop again to pick up some milk, but a different young lady was behind the counter. As I handed her my money I said, “Good afternoon!” But she said nothing – not a word, not a smile – nothing. She just handed me my change and in a loud voice called out, “Next!”
It hit me right between the eyes: Two people, same age; one made me feel great, and the other, well, made me feel that I had annoyed her somehow.
By the choices we make, by the attitudes we exhibit, we’re influencing lives every day in positive or negative ways … our family, our peers, our friends, and even strangers we’ve never met before and will never meet again.
Suggestion: when you brush your teeth each morning, look in the mirror and ask yourself: Who do I want to be today? ‘The Grouch’ or ‘The Good News Girl?’ Your answer will go a long way toward setting the tone, the joy and happiness that you’ll experience in your life.
MAC ANDERSON – ‘THE POWER OF ATTITUDE’
CHANGE THE WORLD
How lovely to think that no one need wait a moment. We can start now, start slowly changing the world! How lovely that everyone, great and small, can make their contribution toward introducing justice straightaway. You can always, always give something, even if it’s only kindness.
ANNE FRANK
CHRISTMISSED?
I saw a manger in a mall today. Correct that. I barely saw a manger in a mall. I almost didn’t see it. I was in a hurry. Guests coming. Santa dropping in. Presents to be purchased. The crush of things was so great that the crèche of Christ was almost ignored. I nearly missed it. And had it not been for the child and his father, I would have.
But out of the corner of my eye,
I saw them. The little boy, three, maybe four years old, staring at the manger’s infant. The father, in worn cap and work clothes, looking over his son’s shoulder, gesturing first at Joseph, then Mary, then the baby. He was telling the little fellow the story.
And oh, the twinkle in the boy’s eyes. The wonder on his little face. He didn’t speak. He just listened. And I didn’t move. I just watched. What questions were filling the little boy’s head? What sparked the amazement on his face? Was it the magic?
And why is it that (most of us) are too busy to ask questions?
MAX LUCADO – ‘UPWORDS’ – WWW.MAXLUCADO.COM
OPEN
Open your eyes to the beauty around you … open your mind to the wonders of life … open your heart to those who love you … and always be true to yourself.
DONNA DAVIS
