Do you wake up with wonder and amazement every morning?  We are talking about a genuine excitement about what the day will bring! 

We (as many of you) are grandparents, and grateful that we finally had the opportunity to visit our 2-year-old grandson who lives with our son and daughter in-law in California.  You can imagine how special it was to visit with him after the length of time that we were forced to be separated this past year.  The trip was extra meaningful and created yet another opportunity for us to learn.  One of our biggest takeaways from spending time with our grandson was enjoying his pure joy and curiosity each and every morning.  Whether it was the birds chirping, trying to learn the names of various dinosaurs or remembering that we (his grandparents) were visiting and sleeping in the next room, he vocally expressed his anticipation for the experiences that would happen in the day(s) to come.   

This observation had us thinking….

Do our senses become dull as we age?

Do we wake up with that same abundance of joy in the morning?  If not, when did that change? How do we flip our lens to get that feeling back?

As adults we have a feeling of excitement, but sometimes we tame it, worried about what others will think.  Can you imagine though if we lived with a sense of wonder and zest for life each day?  We think life would be all that brighter and are grateful for the gentle reminder to own each morning with a bit more excitement for the day ahead.  

The second lesson we were reminded of by our grandson Luca, is that kindness matters.  In the rush of everyday life, sometimes we miss the moments to truly be kind.  Two-year-olds are very sensitive and acutely aware of kindness in both giving and receiving.  Our grandson was quick to point out the moments of kindness and the moment where we could have approached a situation with a different word or tone.  We all could use this reminder as individuals and as a society to be more aware of what and how we say things and to lead with kindness always.  

The third life lesson that we learned from our visit is to embrace the wonderment of learning.  And by learning, we mean learn, try, fail, go back, try again.  Long life learning, a topic described by Chip Conley, who wrote this great book, Wisdom at Work, talks at great length about the importance of long life learning vs. lifelong learning.  

We should strive to be seeking learning opportunities all of the time.

Sometimes this means deeper learning vs. new things.  For example, our grandson is very curious to know the names of every toy dinosaur in his possession.  It’s not enough for him to know them by size or color, he truly wants a deeper knowledge of their scientific names.  This gentle reminder got us thinking about how in retirement, we are afforded the gift of time, and what a great opportunity to seek to gain a deeper knowledge about our life’s passions.   

We can learn a lot from young children and how we can all benefit from approaching life with a bit more of their sense of wonder and zest!  

Tell us, have you learned any life lessons from the youngsters in your house?  Are you able to tap into your inner child to spark a further curiosity? How will you change your habits to embrace your findings?

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