What a Wonderful World This Could Be

♫ If you chance to meet a frown . . . ♫

2007

It was supposed to be fun. We were making pictures of root beer floats after we'd enjoyed the real thing.

Each of the girls had a drawing of a mug, 10 cotton balls for the foam, a pink striped straw and a glue stick. There were three brown crayons: two fat ones, and one skinny one. That's when the problems started—Lucy's crayon was different.

After a few tears and a talk about compromise, they started coloring. But two of the crayons "drew dark" and the third "drew light." Another chance to discuss, advise, and work things out. The final straw was when Jess' straw didn't stick because her glue was stuck. She pouted that she "didn't even care." Life just isn't fair.

To reassure us all, we ended the activity with a spontaneous game called I Know Why I Love You. The tears were dried, the pictures collected and everyone felt better.

As we walked down the hall to meet their moms, they seemed a little wiser. I asked if it had been a fun Oma Day. Lucy said, "It was pretty good, even though there were problems."

I "don't know much about history" but I do know that throughout history life has created problems, and problems create wisdom.

I wonder, if I could see my own problems in perspective, would they even matter? Friends have fatter crayons, neighbors have stickier glue. And whoever doled out the cotton balls was not being equal. There's a lot of the 4-year-old left in me, pouting, feeling picked on, comparing everyone's stacks of stuff. The stuff varies with the seasons, but whether it's a romance, snazzy car, ritzy house, well-paid job or doting family, I could still look around and find mine lacking in comparison.

Or I could turn the other way, and see the people who might be coveting my little slice of life, and demonstrate truths that might improve theirs: a positive outlook, experiences that lead to wisdom, secrets for a happy marriage. When I secretly make such an offer, it must be well hidden in a sincere desire to help, free of superiority or judgment. Even 4-year-olds recognize a superiority complex. "You're not the boss of me!" While we can't change the pompous folks, we can make sure we eliminate that tendency when we're sharing our blessings.

My little girls sang a sweet song as they scampered towards their moms.

♫ "Jesus said, Love everyone, treat them kindly, too.
When your heart is filled with love, others will love you." ♫

If I took the long, confusing problems of adulthood, and applied this simple truth from a 4-year-old, would the world be less complicated?

It's too overwhelming to think about how to fix the whole world. But we can improve our own little worlds by forgiving and loving those closest to us. We could share, revel in our differences, color our friend's fence brown, and then offer him a root-beer-float and admire our handiwork with eyes full of gratitude. What if a lot of people did that? As the song says, "What a wonderful, wonderful world this would be."


*Homework:

~Look for a way you could encourage, support, or actually lend a hand to help someone else this weekend.

~Everytime a fit of envy tickles your nose, turn the other way and notice what you've got that others might benefit from. Figure out a way to share it patiently and gratefully, with no expectation except that you'll learn something from the experience.

~Pray about the problems you're having. The scriptures say to pray with intent. Intent to what? An intent to follow the inspiration you get, to obey the promptings you feel. My 60 years of expertise in this area tells me that the answer will usually have to do with serving somebody else. And it's the quickest way to "turn a frown upside down and smile that frown away."

Follow the

Plan of Happiness