Through the Eyes of a Child

It's so easy to forget that most of the influences in my life don't really matter in my pursuit of living a full, satisfying life. I look around and often find myself saying "I want that." or "I wish I could afford that." Cadillacs, big screen TVs, fancy gadgets, stylish clothes, perfect skin, coffee, alcohol and much more. It all serves to make me forget about what is truly important.

The other morning I drove my belle Bella to school. She is five and is at that age where everything is "Why?" followed by "Why?". It made me realize that "Why?" is a pretty damn good question to ask about a lot of things in my life and in this world and how unfortunate it is that I've forgotten what it's like to view the world through such a veil of innocence and sweet ignorance.

I no longer believe in coincidence. Coincidence is God trying to tell me that I should choose or continue down a particular path. I am a picture framer currently. I love this job because I often get to create monuments for people - monuments to their memories, for their friends, for their lifestyles. I enjoy it. I recently had the opportunity to frame a work of art by an artist by the name of Mary Anne Radmacher. As far as I can tell it is untitled but I gave it the title of "Intention." The centerpiece was a "poem" which I have transcribed below. For some reason it seems appropriate to me right now.

Live with intention.
Walk to the edge.
Listen hard.
Play with abandon.
Practice wellness.
Laugh.
Risk love.
Continue to learn.
Appreciate your friends.
Choose with no regret.
Stand by your family.
Celebrate the holidays that make sense.
Lead or follow a leader.
Do what you love.
Live as if this is all there is.