Be Still. Be Free. Be Content.

My little friend, Briley, only turns four this coming December but in this short amount of time, she has changed my perspective in countless ways. She’s not concerned with perceived injustices. All she wants is for me to sit next to her, play dolls and be part of her land of make-believe. She does this with everyone and in every situation. She came into this world minus prejudice and judgment and seeing the world with everyone and everything as equal.

You can learn many valuable life lessons through the innocent eyes of a child.

No filter. No bias. She’s just honest with her emotions and only knows how to love. Especially, in her case, she’s not afraid to take risks. Briley will sing Let it Go to whomever will listen and will ask ANYONE and EVERYONE if they want to play. She’ll even share her dolls because she realizes that if she doesn’t share, she’ll lose an opportunity to play. Such wisdom before she is even four years old.

Briley sees beauty in everything. The snaggle-toothed witch I put out for Halloween is gorgeous to her and she wakes up everyday with a smile and says, “It’s going be a beautiful day!” Even if it’s raining and bitter cold.

As adults, what can we do to capture the beauty in the innocence of a child, yet do so in a chaotic world, that (at times) isn’t fair? How can we not lose sight in the value of living a life without prejudice and not fighting change? Wonder if we were open minded to everyone and every idea? At my brother’s memorial service we played Amazing Grace sung by Susan Boyle. It was my choice because she, like my brother, is a remarkable and inspirational story. On her first audition on Britain’s Got Talent, the TV captures everyone’s face as they cast doubt about her ability to perform simply because of how she looked. Wonder if she was never given a chance to sing that day? How would the lives of so many been changed? I know that I often listen to her rendition of Amazing Grace when I’m feeling loneliness and looking for strength from the loss of my brother and it brings me peace. Sadly, what opportunities have we lost because we didn’t give everyone an equal opportunity at the table simply because we made a decision based on prejudice or our reluctance to change? This stands true to every aspect of our lives. We are so resistant to change and so conditioned to live with prejudice that we close our eyes to potentially new and wonderful opportunities and relationships. Within seconds of seeing or hearing something different from how we are, think and feel, we cast a cloud of doubt and judgment.

Obviously, it’s difficult to maintain the same innocence of a child because we are constantly experiencing new things – both good and bad. But, we can make a conscious effort to remind ourselves that everyone has something to offer and you can learn from everyone and every situation if you look at it through the right lens. My brother lived his life this way, and I strongly believe it is why he was so peaceful with his unique situation and why he had so many amazing friends.

The next time you interrupt someone’s thought or idea or don’t engage with someone simply because its “different”, remind yourself “different” doesn’t have to be bad…it’s just different.