 "I love you, Hil." "Hey, Hil." "Can you scratch my back?"
Kids are my favorite. In a world that's full of such bad, they're so refreshing to spend time with. They like to snuggle at the end of the day and be read a book, just wanting a simple little back scratch. They make me laugh til my belly hurts, and though I don't have kids yet, I've do have five that I call my own (however theyre always on my back about me giving them some cousins to hang out with... Hold your horses kiddos!) I've been living with my sister the past five months, so the time I'm not working, I'm out and about with my little children as I call them, and in these moments, they've taught me more than they'll ever know. They don't hold on to the negativity, they aren't full of worry, they tell you how it is without a filter because they haven't been taught by society to cover up the truth, not even a little bit. At the end of the day, I know I'll come home to arms wide open and great big hugs awaiting for me. The words that come out of their mouths are honest, they're sweet, a lot of the time extra sassy, but I'm pretty sure my heart still melts on an average of at least 15+ times per day. I always think I can't love them any more than I do because well, it's a lot, but yet every single day my love grows and grows. They're turning 8 and 9 this week/next week, and though they are little, the words and actions of them make an impact on my lil heart and i'm sure everyone else they encounter. My oldest niece is 13 and I cannot believe that.. How can she be old enough for me to talk to my life about and her give me advice... WHAT?! The thing is, you're never too old to learn from a kid, and you're never too young to be an example to someone else and open their eyes to a new perspective on something. These little rascals have taught me a lot and maybe it can help you out, too. 1. Let it go. They can be arguing one minute over something silly, and be back to being best friends the next minute. Even if it's something bigger than who gets what barbie, they still have the ability to move on from it. How often do we get caught up in holding on to something, even long after it's happened? Sure people are going to cause us pain, and sometimes it is hard to let go of, but holding on to something for too long will do nothing good for you. She's 13, but she's been my little right hand girl. She's been the one to listen to everything on my heart and seen it all firsthand-- the good, the bad, the excitement, the nerves, and when did she become so wise to tell me that I needed to do just that with a part of my life.. let it go, and then be the one I turn to with advice? She's protective and solely wants what's best for me, and when she knew that that wasn't what was going on, she'd be honest and tell me so. Don't we all need someone like that? Who will be straight forward and honest and be happy for you when you're happy and ready to kick some booty when you're upset? I've seen it happen, I've experienced people dwelling on something for years and what I've seen develop over many years is a whole lot of bitterness and misery. Not just for that person, but for everyone in their circle. If something has a hold on you, then it won't just affect you. God didn't create us to judge one another, He will do that. Not one of us is any better than the other. Not a single one of our mistakes is something we can hold against someone else, because you know what? We all mess up. We all fall short. Maybe you don't know how to let go of the pain, maybe someone did something to you that you just can't forgive. Pray about it. Pray for healing, pray for contentment, pray to forgive or to be forgiven. Maybe we need to call up an old friend and apologize for something that happened years ago, maybe you have to stop blaming yourself for something that happened, whatever it might be in your life.. it's not too late and it's possible. You might think it's too late and you might think it'd be weird to not have that certain hold on you in your life anymore. It's freeing though, and as my niece loves to say (not sure where she got it from, but it always makes me grin real big) FREEDOM'S FINALLY HERE! And it can be for you. Just slowly and day by day, let it go (cue Frozen soundtrack because you already know we sing that at the top of our lungs). 2. Be fearless. My sister and the girls went back to IL for the weekend and my sister was telling me about my niece who saw the momma kitty taking one of the babies away, so she ran after it and grabbed it out of the mouth and brought it back to the little pen my dad has set up for them. She wasn't scared of it at all. She'll go down by the pen with the bull in it. They'll do flips on the monkey bars at the park. They'll climb up the little rock wall and jump off. They do just about anything and everything without taking a second to get in their head and create a fear that prevents them from doing what they had their heart set on. They don't stop to think about what other people will think, why they should have fear, they just do it. Instead of overanalyzing and basing your decision on what others will think of you if you do this or that, just go for it. If it's something you feel God is placing on your heart, it's there for a reason. You've prayed about it and you know it's what your next step is meant to be, then go for it. Don't live in fear, because you might miss out on something special. Don't get to the end of your life and look back and wish you would've taken this chance or done that.. do it now, and do it without fear. God already has every moment of your life planned, so take a hold of that promise and embrace it. Maybe you've been debating whether to take a new career path or you just want to try something you've never done before, you want to reach out to someone about something, but there's fear holding you back. Maybe it's a note you've been wanting to send but have held on to it for a while or there's just something you want to or even need to say but you're afraid to step outside of your comfort zone because you've been hurt in the past and you're scared. Well, as Izzy will reiterate, SHE'S SENDIN ITTT! You should send it, you should do it. You should take a chance, because God's with you and beside you and on the other side, waiting for you to take that leap and trust Him. Life's too short to waste it in your mind, pondering the what-if's. Go for it and let God work through you. When you put your trust in Him to lead you and direct your steps, it's amazing how He'll lead you places you would've never imagined. 3. Dance and Be Silly. If you catch me and the girls riding in the car, you're 9/10 times likely to see us blasting the music and being silly dancing and with all of that comes lots of laughter. Firework, Go Cubs Go, you name it, we dance to it. There have been multiple times where I come home form work and they will have the Die A Happy Man music video playing on the TV because they know I'm a tad bit obsessed with it and Thomas Rhett (I swear I haven't listened to Grave at least 40 times since it came out Friday and that I'm definitely not listening to it on repeat as I write this), and we dance around the living room and on the couches and just laugh. We watched the CMA Fest the other night and if you poked your head into our living room you would've seen me and Addy slow dancing, doing ridiculous dance moves, singing at the top of our lungs, because why not? Olivia is Pop Diva Princess and wanted to change the channel the whole time, but majority won so it stayed on. She also told me last night as we started a movie that there wasn't any country music in it but I still had to watch it. I started singing Firework when it came on and she's like SEE, HILARY YOU LIKE IT! NOW YOU'RE LIKE ME, POP. There's never a dull moment with her. Moments later, she proceeded to tell me that she doesn't want another uncle that likes country music (sorry Uncle Austie). Silly silly girl.. Too bad, so sad. I'll convert her one day ;) and until then I'll continue to blast my music and sing it nice and loud for her to hear. The thing I love about kids is they don't care how goofy you are, how outrageous you probably look to other adults driving by or listening to you, they love every moment of it. They've rubbed off on me, and I've done my best to lead them and be an example to them. I've learned to not care so much what other people will think. If someone doesn't like you for who you are, then that's their loss. You're a treasure. If you're reading this right now, I want you to remember that. You're so dang amazing. Be yourself and don't try to live up to others expectations because you want them to accept you. Nah, be yourself. 100%. God created you with a purpose. He created you as you are because you're one of a kind. There's no one else like you, and you shouldn't try to mimic someone else because you want to be them. Embrace who you are. Love yourself. Be silly, and laugh often. A moment spent in sadness is a moment of happiness you'll never get back. The sooner you let it go, the sooner you'll be able to smile again. If you're open and willing, you can learn a lot from the little ones, and they pick up on a lot from you, so be the person that they need. Love them, cuddle them, encourage them, be the person that you'd want to have in your life at that age. Even when you don't realize it, you're probably learning more by being present and appreciating the little things with little and with old. Remember, you're never too old to learn from a child, and they'll never be too young to learn from you. Little things go a far way, no matter the age.
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