Be Still. Be Free. Be Content.

I’ve had the great fortune of doing and seeing many great things in my life. I’ve been to the Great Wall, driven the road to Hana in Maui, seen the Mona Lisa, the Coliseum, walked through the Sistine Chapel and I’ve even been on a gondola ride through Venice, but the moment that sticks out the most vividly in my mind was recently watching my 4 year old little princess ride her bike. I’ve never seen greater joy than the look on her face when she first saw her new bike and the contagious laughter she exuded from the first time she rode it. It is a Disney princess bike and her helmet is also a tiara. She was so proud and so happy. This got me thinking – why do we complicate life?

Even in the days of technology, where this little princess has two iPods and an iPad with an endless stream of cartoons from Netflix, the one event that transcends time and culture is getting her first bike. And, with this renewed perspective, I’ve committed to a life of simplicity this summer. Our family is spending more time on the basics. In my opinion, our culture has lost track of how great our childhood was, especially when we were focused on the little things in life like simple conversations with friends, swimming, riding bikes and building homemade forts. Technology has given us many benefits that have greatly advanced our society and with that progress, today’s kids have access to more than we ever did; which will inherently take their education to a whole new level. However, the moment my little friend got her bike, it reminded me that at their very core kids and adults find the most pleasure in the simplest forms of entertainment. We find ourselves busily doing this and that and everything in between, but yet we find our contentment in a simpler form. Conversations with friends over coffee, a sunset, watching a child laugh, and seeing the beauty in the nature around us.

I think from time-to-time we complicate our lives and put stresses on things that don’t really matter in the bigger scheme of things. My little friend has helped me to see what truly matters. A child’s laughter, unconditional love, complete trust and committed friendship. I also feel fortunate to share the beauty of such a wonderful personality with my parents. My parents have loved and supported me unconditionally throughout my life and I owe them more gratitude than I could ever give. We lost my brother last year and life will never be the same. But I’m happy to say that watching my little princess ride her new bike brings great joy and helps our family’s healing. She is a gift like no other.