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5 Things I Want My Baby to Know

From Everything I've Learned

By Jaz JohnstonePublished 5 years ago 6 min read
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1. You Will Find What You Look for

The World can be a scary place. It can be an awe inspiring, overwhelming place too. There is such a huge scale variety of sickening, tragic things happening on a daily basis; so much loss, pain, destruction and cruelty dished out that it is enough to knock the breath from you and make you feel like never stepping outside again. The world also has within it natural phenomenon and natural beauty, acts of kindness and life changing moments so big they make you pull back from the moment and look at it with a mixture of wonder and amazement. Too often, feeling unable to cope with things or overwhelmed by things comes from too much of one perspective. We live in a time where information is available at the touch of a button, where we are more aware of things on a global scale, where a person living across the world is not a thing you ponder mysteriously, but someone you can search up and send a message to within minutes. This opens us up to possibilities, but also to a total onslaught of over-stimulating information. Your mind will grow on what you feed it. Take time to pull away when there is too much sorrow to wade through, and wrap yourself in comforting things when something seems too big to process. It's OK to unplug for a while, in fact it is necessary.

2. Goodness Lies in Balance

This is something I have learned from my own mother and have carried with me through life. So many of people's daily struggles, be it health problems, emotional issues or struggles in their relationships or jobs, comes from an imbalance of some sort. Pushing too much to one end of a scale is never good for you, even if it is doing something seemingly positive. Always try to be a good person, but do not sacrifice your own safety, health and happiness to do so. Try to be healthy, but do not rid your life of indulgences. Try to be selfless, but do not forget yourself. Try to be successful in whatever you do, but do not use the distance you sit from your ultimate goal as a stick to beat yourself with. Peace comes from balance.

3. Honesty Is Vital

Another one from my mother. Honesty is so important to living your life well—not just with others, but with yourself too. I'm not talking about removing tact, sometimes it is better to tell someone what they need to hear at the time. Real honesty is about being able to look over your day and feel peace that you didn't do anything you feel you need to hide in order to have a clear conscience, that you didn't pretend to be something you're not, that you didn't cause pain to others that needed to be shut away. Being honest means sticking to your guns, having courage in your convictions and bravely staying true to yourself. Being honest means telling people when they hurt you, having the awkward conversations and asking the uncomfortable questions. Being honest is something as small as telling someone you didn't hear their name, so you aren't stuck in an awkward position of never wanting to start a conversation with them, to something as big as telling someone you love them. Being honest means never being stuck in your own lies, grasping to remember the version of truth you told someone. Being honest means you admit when you're wrong, you apologise when you make mistakes, you tell someone when you didn't mean something you said. Honesty means removing stubborn Pride and opening the door to what's real. Honesty is the key to living the life that is right for you.

4. The Ordinary Can Be Extraordinary

Snorkeling through the Coral Reef, bellowing your name into the Grand Canyon, ticking places off as you go on the map, going on crazy nights out and doing wild things are spectacular moments. They lead to memories that last a lifetime. There is no set list of things you must do, however, to live a life that feels extraordinary. If you lead a life that is true to what you most desire, everyday will have extraordinary moments. For me, running my fingers through my children's hair, the happiness that bubbles up inside me when I hear my husband's key in the door at the end of the day, the feeling I get when I see my mum, when I see my mother in law, the feeling I got when I sat wide awake at one in the morning, learning that my niece had just been born—these are the moments that have taken my breath away. I've had loved ones who's calling is to travel the world, to study new things all the time, to live life one freedom to another. I have also found my own extraordinary pocket of happiness in my ordinary life of being deeply in love with a beautiful person, as well as through growing a family. All the totally ordinary moments that happen everyday are what have accumulated to me looking at my life and catching my breath when I think of how truly extraordinary it is. Never let anyone tell you that you have to travel, have multiple partners, wait when you know something is right for you or follow a certain path to happiness. Never let someone tell you when it is time to settle down. The path you tread should be entirely your own. Trust that you will lead yourself in the right direction, even if it takes you a few twists and turns to figure out what that is.

5. Kindness Is Everything

This is the thing that binds people, that transcends where you are in the world, what you're doing in your life and what you are facing. Kindness is the root that connects everyone. Small acts of kindness to strangers can pep them up so that they go on to be extra kind to those around them, causing a dizzyingly large ripple of good from one simple act. A smile, a hug, a kiss, a small favour and a kind word can be the healing balm that someone needs. You never know the context in which someone is existing each day. Every person that walks around outside is living a different day than you are, one that you don't know about. Inside your home, kindness also makes the difference. There is no argument that humility and apologies can't overcome. There is no worry that an affectionate touch or hold can't soothe, at least in part. There is no insecurity that a kiss can't dissipate. There is no tiredness that a helping hand can't lighten. There is no stress that a listening ear can't ease. There is no greater way to make someone feel loved than to simply be kind to them. Kindness is the glue that not only keeps couples together, but keeps them in love. Kindness is the fabric of family, the thing that keeps kids open and coming back to you. Kindness is what makes friendship work even when there is no common factor in your lives anymore. Kindness is everything.

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About the Creator

Jaz Johnstone

Been writing since I could hold a pen.. poetry, blogs and currently working on my novel.

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