Consider this : take the long look
Now that you’re entering a world in which your time and attention will be divided into a million quick glances a day just to make sure you’re not missing anything, I want to remind you to take the long look as often as you can. This is a little like smelling the roses, only the challenge is to find the beauty in the most ordinary things – not just the extraordinary ones. If you do this, I promise you that your life will be so full of beauty, you will feel like the richest person on the planet. If you do this, you will be less likely to find yourself feeling bored or dissatisfied, as so many of us become when we realize that being grown up is not all it’s cracked up to be unless we learn to want what we have and take pleasure in the little things. Taking the long look is not a panacea. It won’t fix anything that’s already broken, and it won’t make your life easier, but it will give you a perspective on life that you can feel good about – a perspective that will allow you to face adversity with grace, receive blessings with gratitude, and recognize what life really has to offer you on a day to day basis. Emma, I know you were raised by one of the most long-lookingest people I’ve ever encountered, so this advice might be redundant, but just in case, I'd advise you to watch her. See how she sifts through all the hours in a day to find the glimmer in it, the shiny minute, the pure moment, the poetry.
With Love and Blessings on your Future,
Feithline Stuart
http://thedailyfey.typepad.com
I am gathering wisdom from the far corners of the earth to give my older daughter, Emma, as she graduates from high school. What would you say to her? Or to your own 17-year-old self? What thoughts would you ask her to consider? You can submit your advice (instructions here) and 37 of those will be posted over the next 37 days, one each day, culminating in a free e-book of all the submissions after her graduation on June 14th.
