7 Life Lessons from a Two Year Old

nnOriginal version can be found on "Sunshine Pie" @ http://www.sunshinepie.comnn nnWondering what you can learn from a 2 yr old? Before my niece was born over 2 years ago, I most likely would have said "Probably not too much". After all, a 2 yr old can barely count to 3 and has trouble pronouncing their own name. Right?nnIf there happens to be a 2 year old in your life, or you have known a 2 year old at some point, you may read this post and say "Duh!" but for me, spending a week with my 2 yr old niece was an inspirational experience. I quickly discovered that my 2 yr old niece loved every moment of life, and that I had a lot to learn from her example.nnThis is a list of 7 life lessons that were inspired by her...nnMy 2 yr old niece:nn1. Eats slow w/ little bites.n

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• This little girl was enjoying a freshly-made peanut butter & jelly sandwich that was carefully cut up into 4 square pieces. She took a tiny bite every so often & seemed to enjoy the peanut buttery flavor.n
• After 15 minutes, it became clear to me that she was not concerned with whether or not she was going to finish her sandwich in that sitting. She was not rushing through her meal to get to her next task.n

n n2. Is overwhelmingly willing to share.n

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• As her attention was wondering away from the pb & j sandwich, my sister asked, "Can Uncle Randy have a bite?" Without thinking it over, she immediately raised up a fully intact sandwich-square in her tiny hand. She gleamed at the opportunity to share her meal. She gasped the sandwich with her fingers covering about 75% of the square, leaving me about an inch of bite room. Being cautious, I took the tiniest bite I could, as to not injury her hand.n
• As I was chewing my tiny bite, I caught myself thinking, "I wish I could have had a much larger bite," but then I suddenly became satisfied with my tiny morsel of pb & j. Even though I only received a small bite, my sense was that my niece would have given me the entire sandwich if I wanted it.n

n n3. Has unlimited patience.n

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• I had the great opportunity to take a walk down the street with my niece (as she held my hand, of course). She was completely content as we walked with no real end-point in mind. She watched in wonder as some children played basketball, or a car pulled out of their driveway.n
• There was never a thought of "I'm bored" or "This is pointless" or "Let's go home" – The entire experience just was what it was, and it was evident that she was enjoying every moment.n

n n4. Gives full attention to every task.n

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• My sister sat on the couch with her daughter and read a "What is it?" book. The task on each page was simple; identify the object or animal on the page, such as an umbrella or an elephant. My 2 yr old niece announced the item name with pride every time she could make identification.n
• When she saw something on the page that she could not easily identify, she intensely concentrated on the object to try to figure out what it was on the page. She put every ounce of concentration into each identification task.n

n n5. Sleeps with the Sun & takes a daily nap.n

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• Once my niece goes to bed in her crib, my sister gets upset with me if I run down the steps or talk loudly. This forced me to pay particular attention to my niece's sleeping patterns. By the end of the week, I could assume that if the sun was down, my niece was asleep.n
• Also, in the afternoon, there was a daily "nap time" – I often thought to myself how much I would enjoy a daily nap time everyday.n

n n6. Is tirelessly persistent & will not take "No" for an answer.n

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• When my niece wants something, such as being held by her mother, she will not stop asking until she is satisfied. My niece does not seem to care if people think she is needy or annoying. She just asks.n
• She has a goal set in her mind, and she keeps driving until she reaches it, even if it is to simply 'be held'.n

n n7. Does not pass up a chance to sing or laugh.n

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• One of my niece's favorite events is a birthday celebration. She will sing "Happy Birthday to You" at every single mention of the word birthday, regardless of whether it is actually someone's birthday. This past week, there were 2 birthdays, her Daddy & Great Grandmother. As soon as a cake was brought to the table with candles, she immediately knew to break out into song. "Happy Birthday to you….Happy Birthday to you....." (Those are the only lyrics that she knows)n
• One of my favorite things to do in her presence is to just start laughing for no reason. I will go into an almost "comical/movie" laugh, and she will keep the pace and volume and try to laugh just as much along with me. When I get too tired from laughing, my niece is still smiling and still laughing.n

n nIt is truly amazing how much better I felt about life after spending a week with my 2 yr old niece.nnThank you little onenn:)nnnn--nPlease pass along to any person who knows a 2 yr oldnnRemember: Sunshine Pie is a mindset. Keep it going.nnJoin the Sunshine Pie Facebook page