A 4 year old teacher? You bet!

Taking the GO train home, the other day, we were all treated to the antics of an excited 4 year old. He dazzled and entertained and left everyone on the train hanging on for more. When it was his turn to get off were all bidding goodbye like good old friends. The train ride afterwards was somber and quiet, with everyone back on their mobile devices and newspapers.

Four year olds aren't just cute and talkative. They do have valuable lessons we can take away. Next time you meet a 4 year old pick out what you learn.

1. Be enthusiastic! It is that simple. Approach each day like it's a gift to be treasured and enjoyed thoroughly. Revel in the "newness" around you. Absorb your surroundings and be excited that you are privileged to be a part of it. Unfortunately, some others may not have this opportunity, but you do. Value it and be excited about it. It's not JUST a train ride. It's a mesmerizing ride with lots of sights to see and lots of people to meet. Make it count!

2. Make friends along the way. It's no fun going anywhere all by yourself. Even if you are a loner, at times you will need to make friends to get to where you want to go. Be friendly, be kind and don't forget to SMILE.

3. Don't be afraid to ask questions. Since when does everyone know everything? Be humble and don't forget to ask for help or ask how things work if you don't know. People are usually very happy to help, and it makes them feel wanted. Give them that benefit. Ask for help when you need to.

4. Wow your audience. Our little 4 year old friend on the train kept us engaged, kept us wanting for more of his simple little antics. We need to do the same. Leave an impression with those you meet. Make a difference. Leave your audience hanging for more.

When you meet a 4 year old next time, don't forget to listen and observe intently for another lesson we can learn. When you do, send me a message so I can add it to the list!

Let there be light....

On July 8th, 2013, due to heavy rain and flash floods we did not have power for 4.5 hours in Mississauga. No TV, radio, lights or cordless phones! We stood outside the house mingling with neighbours who said there were heavy rains and floods in Toronto which is about 15-20 minutes away from us. It was barely a drizzle where we were. We hurried around the house before it got dark looking for candles and flashlights. After about an hour with no power we were conserving our cell phones just in case. It seemed like a repeat of the brownout in 2003. We didn't have power for about 8+ hours as I remember. Our family of 4 sat around the living room playing a game of phase 10. We stopped after it got too dark and we couldn't tell the difference between the green and blue cards. Everything was so dark and quiet! There was no conversation, just silence as we watched the candles flicker back and forth. Every now and then someone got up and tried switching on a light to a room just out of habit. How we take the little luxuries in life for granted! No electricity and/or no water is the norm amongst most of the world. Rolling blackouts is how some countries conserve electricity. I am so thankful I live in a country where I flick on the switch and there is light. "For how long?" some people say.... I do hope for a very long time. We snuck in a few surfs on the internet and heard of a GO train being stuck in water and people needing to be rescued. About 2 hours in darkness and silence we had power! A flurry of activity ensued with everyone setting their digital clock radios and getting back on the internet for more updates.

It was only the day after that we would really comprehend the extent of water, damage and drama that occurred the day before. There were pictures upon pictures of people wading in the water, using their canoes, cars immersed in water, the GO train rescue and even a snake on the train...yuck! I had to travel on the GO 2 days later and yes I was looking around and did not let my legs rest on the ground for too long.

• We so take our little luxuries for granted. Thank goodness for hot water, internet, phones and light. We didn't learn our lesson last brownout, but we are getting us some old fashioned phones.... the kind you plug in.
• I do enjoy occupying one room in the house with my family, sitting in silence with nothing but a few candles flickering for light. It's simple and just bliss.
• It's always good to be prepared. I am not sure how prepared we would have been had we had no power for longer. I refuse to be one of those doomsday "preppers" but it's something to think about.

I do hope we have no rolling power outages or big blackouts and brownouts. I am a wimp and do need my power and yes, hot water too. I am not sure how long we will last without it. Our blackout did remind me to be very thankful of our little luxuries! It also made me think of how we will be ready if we have an outage for longer...I hope I won't ever have to find out!!

"When I was young...."

Conversation at the nail salon is always endless. Usually someone becomes a Dr. Phil with a full on audience listening to a panel of venting patrons getting pedicures. The topics flip back and forth between news, politics, Hollywood gossip, travel and kids. It was one of these afternoons that I heard one of my dreaded statements "Oh the kids these days..." The next dreaded statement followed closely behind with "oh when I was young...." When was that?? 50 years ago, or in other words 5 DECADES ago? 50 years ago, the cell phone was not invented, Neil Armstrong had not landed on the moon and John Lennon was still alive! Yes, it's been that long. I for one am quite happy that the kids are not doing the same things we did when we were young. It means we've evolved, changed, moved with the times. "The only thing that is constant is change ~ Heraclitus"

Kids "these" days can do homework, watch TV, snack and text all at the same time with accuracy may I add. They are champions at multi-tasking. They figure out the latest tech tool or social media app the minute it hits the masses. They navigate through a ton of distractions, peer pressure (like we have never experienced and would not want to), the latest trends of dos and don't and rapidly changing social scenarios at school and come out alive. They are navigators, story-tellers, tech gurus, sponges and social media hounds. Thank goodness they are not like us when we were young. They wouldn't last a day in today's school and social jungles if they were!

• Change is good. It's inevitable and constant. Don't get too comfortable, just get ready to move.
• Try not to judge. I say try as it's human nature to do just that. Just try not judge and be open to change and the possibilities of life in 2013. It will not be the same as 19... (I'll let you fill in those blanks).
• Kids "these" days have no room for error. One bad text message or comment can impact their entire life negatively for a very long time. Unfortunately, some of them never recover from it!
• Kids "these" days are just as wonderful as we were. They are just different, just as we were to our parents. It's called the circle of life, aka evolution.

So next time you want to say "oh the kids these days" or "when we were young" stop and think of how long ago that was and the numerous amounts of possibilities, inventions, events that have occurred since then and embrace the way of life today as a result of that history!