Everyone has the right to live a happy life.
–Dalai Lama
When was the last night you saw something that took your
breath away? When I was walking among
the Redwood trees on the northern California coast in September, I felt the
wonder of being in God’s cathedral. Working with children in the Growing Healthy Kids project allows me to see awe all the time.
The first time a child prepares their own
salad or sees a quiche being assembled and loves the smell of it baking in the
oven or tastes dark chocolate for the first time, these have all been
experiences when I have seen children smiling with the wonder of learning via
firsthand experiences. The way they look inquisitively at a new task they are about to master, such as learning how prepare
a fresh tomato soup, puts awe into awesome.
Think about being outside in the rain with your mouth open to catch the
raindrops. Think about seeing the full
moon or shooting stars. Think about
smelling a rose. These experiences make us whole.
As parents, we work hard to ensure our children have
wonderful lives. Focus on the simple
things, such as spending time together reading a book to a young child, riding
bikes to the beach or making cookie chip cookies with your kids that they can take to their teacher as a
Christmas gift.
Treasure the awe in life. We need it for our health. Seek new experiences whether it is visiting our National Parks,
taking your children to the local farmers market, or making a family recipe together.
Awe brings happiness in abundance to your life.
It keeps life fresh. Experiencing
happiness, after all, is what life is all about.
In
gratitude,
Nancy L.
Heinrich, MPH
Founder,
Growing Healthy Kids, Inc.
