So I stumbled across this picture a few days ago (does "Pinterest" count as a proper citation? unclear.) and literally couldn't take my eyes off of it. There is something so wonderful and at the same time so totally beyond words about the expression on this little girl's face that I can't get enough of. It's like, she can't believe the real Snow White is actually standing in front of her.
And you don't have to be a fan of Snow White, or even a fan of Disney to understand exactly what is going on in this little girls head and to recognize the feeling that you have probably had yourself at some point. This is exactly the kind of holy-crap-i-can't-believe-it-i'm-so-happy-right-now-somebody-pinch-me-i-think-i'm-going-to-throw-up moment that we look for. And there is just something so innocent about this little girl that makes it even more attractive. She was probably just bouncing around the streets of Disneyworld, already happy as a clam, grabbing onto to mommy's hand when suddenly her most favorite princess of all time happened to be right in front of her.
I think there is a lot to be said for being easy to please. Why not bring back that happy little three year old who gets excited at the littlest thing? What's the harm? I've made a promise to myself to try to capture more moments like this. Its so easy to get bogged down in all the shit you have to do and the places you have to be and the appearances you have to keep up. These moments are becoming rarer and rarer as that innocence is lost. So I made the decision to consciously seek out these moments, and even to manufacture them for myself. It's really not that hard, its all about how you look at things.
In field hockey, I play on the forward line. Most of the time, the drills we do out at practice are designed for the defense, which means a lot of mindless running for me and the other girls on my line. I used to absolutely dread it and would cower behind someone taller than me as the coach called out for volunteers for each position. Then one day I decided, well I have to do it anyway, and this is my last season so why the hell not, lets do it. There's going to be a day when field hockey is all over and I'll be begging to be out there on the field. Hell, there were days not so long ago when I was an underclassman and would do anything to be put out there. So why not? Ask anyone on my team, when the coach was looking around for people to put on the forward line I'm standing there front and center with a big fat happy grin on my face. And when he called my name, I'd enthusiastically skip out to my defender, who would jokingly say "oh shit, not you again...you run too much." Its little moments like those that can make your day. Damn right I run too much. I'm great at running. I like running. Its something thats all mine and over which I have complete control. I'll be honest, I'm not the most skilled field hockey player there ever was, not even close. But I can run the hell out of you. And I will. Its engineering moments like this that keep me loving what I do, and keep me coming out there every day when I'd rather be in bed.
Just try to be easy to please for one day. I promise, it will make all the difference in the world. There's nothing wrong with acting like a 3 year old, especially in things that don't matter so much. It's like "fake it till you make it," but with your attitude. If you act happy (not fake, I mean genuinely easy to please) then you'll be happy. Period.
And you don't have to be a fan of Snow White, or even a fan of Disney to understand exactly what is going on in this little girls head and to recognize the feeling that you have probably had yourself at some point. This is exactly the kind of holy-crap-i-can't-believe-it-i'm-so-happy-right-now-somebody-pinch-me-i-think-i'm-going-to-throw-up moment that we look for. And there is just something so innocent about this little girl that makes it even more attractive. She was probably just bouncing around the streets of Disneyworld, already happy as a clam, grabbing onto to mommy's hand when suddenly her most favorite princess of all time happened to be right in front of her.
I think there is a lot to be said for being easy to please. Why not bring back that happy little three year old who gets excited at the littlest thing? What's the harm? I've made a promise to myself to try to capture more moments like this. Its so easy to get bogged down in all the shit you have to do and the places you have to be and the appearances you have to keep up. These moments are becoming rarer and rarer as that innocence is lost. So I made the decision to consciously seek out these moments, and even to manufacture them for myself. It's really not that hard, its all about how you look at things.
In field hockey, I play on the forward line. Most of the time, the drills we do out at practice are designed for the defense, which means a lot of mindless running for me and the other girls on my line. I used to absolutely dread it and would cower behind someone taller than me as the coach called out for volunteers for each position. Then one day I decided, well I have to do it anyway, and this is my last season so why the hell not, lets do it. There's going to be a day when field hockey is all over and I'll be begging to be out there on the field. Hell, there were days not so long ago when I was an underclassman and would do anything to be put out there. So why not? Ask anyone on my team, when the coach was looking around for people to put on the forward line I'm standing there front and center with a big fat happy grin on my face. And when he called my name, I'd enthusiastically skip out to my defender, who would jokingly say "oh shit, not you again...you run too much." Its little moments like those that can make your day. Damn right I run too much. I'm great at running. I like running. Its something thats all mine and over which I have complete control. I'll be honest, I'm not the most skilled field hockey player there ever was, not even close. But I can run the hell out of you. And I will. Its engineering moments like this that keep me loving what I do, and keep me coming out there every day when I'd rather be in bed.
Just try to be easy to please for one day. I promise, it will make all the difference in the world. There's nothing wrong with acting like a 3 year old, especially in things that don't matter so much. It's like "fake it till you make it," but with your attitude. If you act happy (not fake, I mean genuinely easy to please) then you'll be happy. Period.