Avoid the Burn

Sadly, this is the time of year when things die. It sounds morbid, but it’s true. In June, everything is beautiful, green and healthy. By August, the lack of water coupled with a series of ninety degree temperatures leaves our lawn riddled with burnt spots. In a few weeks, the leaves will turn vivid reds and oranges, and what happens next? Brown crunchy leaves will litter the ground, forcing us to dig out the rakes and leaf bags. Maybe there’s a way to bring the greenery back. Take a look:

                                     https://youtu.be/-W92Ux9GKAI

The grass looks green from afar, but of course it comes with a cost. There are other ways to revive a lawn, and each one takes time, patience, money, or all three. Maybe we’re not willing to put that much care into our lawns, but what about relationships? Which one of your relationships needs watering?

Where Are You Now?

Relationships float through different stages. Last week, I overheard an interesting exchange between a parent and a couple of kids. The parent kept making funny faces and singing popular songs written long before the kids were born. Judging by the kids’ expressions, they wanted no part of the performance. Undeterred by their eye-rolls, the parent added to the torture by singing off-key.

After several minutes, one of the kids pulled a question from the childhood memory files. Questions always make good diversions. The kid said to the parent, “Do you want to play a game?” The second kid followed up with, “Yeah, let’s play the quiet game.” How many times had the kids had fallen for the “quiet game” tactic? Eventually kids will borrow their parents’ tricks and criticize parenting logic. Watch this:

                                         https://youtu.be/GadAQd1IAzk

As kids grow up, they’ll offer their parents advice on everything from fashions and hairstyles to insurance and investments. Through the usual ups and downs of life, parent-child relationships deepen and evolve. What’s your most important relationship and how has it developed?              

What's the Small Stuff?

As I sat at a stop light on a multi-lane road, the light changed from red to green. A millisecond later, one driver beeped the car horn. Was that for me? What’d I do wrong? That’s what I would have thought years ago when I first started driving. Back then a parallel parking spot used to send me hunting for a “regular” space. Okay, it still does. But the point is now, with years of experience under my belt, whenever I hear a car horn beep while I’m driving, I think, “Hold your horses. You should’ve left home earlier!”   

If you talk with anyone sixty years and older, I believe they’ll tell you that the things they worried about decades ago pale in comparison to the issues that occupy their thoughts today. It’s interesting how knowledge and experience change our perspectives. Sometimes it’s a matter of focusing on the big picture.

One of our kids chose to replicate Neptune for a science project, and I learned that it’s approximately seventeen times the earth’s mass. I’m always fascinated by the solar system and our position in it. We always seem to discover something new things in space. This video provides us with a fresh perspective on life and our universe:

If you’re feeling insignificant, be encouraged! Despite the minuscule blip of space we occupy in the universe, we still have big jobs to tackle, like creating lasting legacies through parenting, teaching and role modeling. As you pass on the wisdom you’ve learned over the years, what small stuff would you advise a young adult not to sweat?