Wednesday, August 25, 2010

"Dressing Up" To Appreciate The Things Around Us

Have you ever seen a group of girls dressed up in princess gear and matching shoes?  The simple act of putting on different clothes transforms them into royalty from a land of magic.

Unfortunately, most adults don't get the same results. At some point the magical optimism of youth gives way to the realities of life, and glass slippers mean pinched toes, not handsome princes.

When we lose that charmed outlook on life we also lose the possibilities and wonder that come with it.  Have you ever watched a sunrise after a night of crisis? Have you even been struck by the beauty of something you have ignored before? 

Appreciation for that which is around us can be a hard thing.  Lives get busy, routines become boring and the status quo becomes reality.  Few of us take the time to "dress up" and imagine things in a different way. 

The question becomes, what are we missing? What have we overlooked or under appreciated? Are we not seeing the possibilities in our careers, our relationships or our personal growth? 

You will not catch me walking around in my mother's clothes and shoes anymore,  (which is a good thing, I have been taller than her since 4th grade...) but you will catch me imagining ways my life can be different.  I don't long for far away places, I just compare my current activities with the things I know I could be doing instead.

You have heard of "fake it until you make it," but how many of us change our behaviors to suit the person we want to be?  How many of us have tea with the queen while wearing a ball gown instead of PB&J with the kids while in our PJ's? How many of us act as if we are on the road to success instead of on the road to the grocery store?

Take the time to watch children lost in the land of pretend.  Enjoy their happiness and feel the freedom of their excitement. Remember what the world felt like when it was a place of endless opportunities, and then remember who you were when you were full of optimism.  Who will you be today, a princess, a business woman, a calm and collected mom (just as much of a myth as frog princes...) or an amazing volunteer?  Dress yourself up and appreciate everything your life has to offer!

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