Rules For Life

Wisdom from 5 year olds...

Me: "Can anyone tell me a rule we have at school?"

5 year old: "The only 2 rules you ever need are Try hard and Have fun."

Me: "Who told you those - I love them!"

5 year old: "My mind told them to me."

This same little guy came back to me the next day and said 
"Ms. Miller, there is one more rule.   You have to be nice to other people."

We live in a world filled with rules of every kind; laws, guidelines, requirements, standards, and regulations.  These rules might be designed to maintain order, create procedures and process but if we for just one moment took the advice of a wise boy, who's years can be counted on one hand, we might find ourselves in a better place.  Plain and simply we all need to

TRY HARD
HAVE FUN
BE NICE TO OTHERS

Perhaps with this first rule,we could all be living in a world where we put forth our best foot forward each day.  A world where hard work and effort are admired and rewarded.  Where we teach the next generation that life is not about where you come from or who you know but rather who you are and what you do.

The second rule may in fact seem like the easiest rule to follow, because who among us does not like to have fun!?  But, far too often, I hear those around me anxiously waiting for their children to outgrow a difficult age, teenagers eager to grow up, so many waiting for better weather, a better job, or a better life.  We wait for change and growth, time and money, often forgetting to look for the fun that surrounds us each day.  If we all began to search for even the smallest moment of fun in a day, we would begin to fill our days with smiles, laughter and joy!

The final rule this little guy told me might in fact be my favorite.  Perhaps it is the teacher in me or maybe it is just the human being in me, but being nice to others is one of the most basic rules we all learn.  As a child, we all learned it.  We learned it at home and school, Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts, in church or temple and it has been said a thousand different ways in many languages.  Be Kind.  That simple sentences, consisting of only 2 words means so much.  This might be the answer to problems all over the world.  In politics, religion, and well life, being kind to others is always the best choice.

So tomorrow when you open your eyes to a new day, make your self a promise to try hard, giving you best all day long.  Look for the fun during your day in small moments and big ones and don't settle for a single day with out fun!  And most of all vow to be kind to those around you.  If you can do all three of these in one day, I can assure you that your day will be more like that of a 5 year old, and maybe even just a little bit better than your last!