My Sister Knew The Keys To A Good Life By The Age of Three
Unintentionally, but still
In a home video that will remain forever etched in our family history, my younger sister KD (aged two at the time) recounts a bedtime story. It involves a girl (we’ll call her Mia) who makes friends with several animals in a forest.
At one point in her animated retelling of the tale, KD happily states that Mia is surrounded by a number of ‘birdies’. At this point my father asks her: “The birdies, were they small or big?”
KD, with the life-affirming eagerness of a young child who wants it all, asserts, “No! Small AND Big.”
It was an enlightened comment. Living a full life includes the small and the big. Delighting in small joys while keeping your eye on the big picture is kind of the secret to everything.
Small joys aren’t that small. The first bite of a ripe peach, a song that brings back memories, your friend’s belly laughter — these can bring with them a surprising amount of happiness.
Keeping your eye on the big picture is about loosening your hold on many of the things you constantly worry about (the weird comment your boss made, the annoying scratch on your car or the rain that caught you out on a walk). It involves stepping back to remember that they will make zero…
