Three Little Birds

When my youngest was just a few months old, I heard a song on Nickelodeon’s Noggin channel.  For those of you who don’t know, this is a channel geared towards preschoolers that doesn’t use commercials, but rather clips of children playing, learning games, and music segments.  This particular music segment, “Three Little Birds” sung by Bob Marley, and the video that went along with it, warmed my heart and inspired me to sing it to my little one.  And so it began, every night at bedtime as I held little Clay in my arms and rocked him while he drank his bottle, I would sing the words of the song, hoping that he was carefully listening to and following the message: “Don’t worry about a thing, ‘cause every little thing gonna be alright.”

It’s a funny thing what we as parents do for our children, the wisdom and values we try to instill within their little minds, when we ourselves often forget to heed our own advice.  I was telling my son not to worry, but to just relax, have peace, and trust that everything will be fine.  What a hypocrite I am!  Sure, everyone worries at least sometimes.  It is a part of living a fulfilling life.  We worry because we deeply care about something.  But then there are those of us who worry all the time, usually about trivial things that really aren’t worth worrying about.  Here, I raise my hand.  I can’t tell you how many times I have been worried about something just to have my husband give me the simplest of resolutions when I voice my concern.  As I venture through my days trying to be the best wife, mother, daughter, and friend I can be, it is so easy for me to get caught up in the little things that are irrelevant to anything valuable in life.  Eventually the worries build upon each other and change the focus from the simple beauty of life and the blessings I have been given to all the things which are or could be going wrong.

And then I hear this song again.  I hear the words telling me not to worry.  They tell me to wake up and smile because the sun is shining.  They tell me to listen to the birds, their beautiful songs, because they are giving me a message, a message that says to rejoice in this day and have a song in my heart.  I am reminded of the perfect, sweet, utterly content little face of my baby boy, looking up at me as I sing to him the words that I myself so desperately need to practice. 

My son is now three-and-a-half years old and still loves hearing this song when it comes on.  It’s as though he remembers those days in the rocking chair.  He even learned the words at one point and would sing it himself.  I hope that this song carries with him and when things get hard, he will remember not to worry because it’s all going to be alright. 

The next time you wake up and are rushing through your morning, take a moment to stop and listen to the birds, hear the beauty in their song, and watch how completely carefree and happy they are.  Then remind yourself, “Don’t worry about a thing, ‘cause every little thing gonna be alright.”              

It All Comes From Within

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies with in us."- Ralph Waldo Emerson

 Growing up, my dad would always tell me that if I had a problem with someone or something else, to look within myself first.  I remember taking the idea into consideration, but it wasn’t long before I went right back to blaming my problems on outside sources.  To be perfectly honest, I still do.  We all do.  Why, I do not know.  Perhaps it is pride, or not wanting to take responsibility for our actions, or maybe it is just human nature.  But if we take the time to turn inward, to look within ourselves, before passing judgment or criticizing others or placing blame on something or someone other than ourselves, we will find something humbling.  We will find that the real culprit is lurking inside of us, creating much more of a problem than anything on the outside ever could.

 When some friends of yours show you their new house, you are immediately taken by how large and lovely it is.  You think about your own, much smaller home, and begin to get angry that you don’t make enough money at your current job and it is holding you back from having everything you want.  You become stressed and frustrated as you stew over your current situation.   Look within yourself—it is not your job, but internal envy of what others have that is causing your frustration.

One of your close girlfriends just got engaged.  You tell her you are happy for her, but secretly you are bitter.  How could she get engaged before you?  She always had better luck with guys.  It’s just not fair!  Now all the attention is going to be on her because she is getting married and you will be on the back burner.  You are older anyway, so shouldn’t you be getting married first?  Look within yourself—it is not your friends’ engagement, but internal jealousy that is plaguing your heart.

 You have a successful career and are able to afford more than you could ever need.  But you still aren’t happy.  You think there’s just one more thing you need to be content, yet when you finally get that thing you realize that it hasn’t satisfied you and you still want more.  Look within yourself—it is not material things that are causing your unhappiness, it is greed and ungratefulness.

You get into an argument with a coworker about something you know you are wrong about, but do not want to admit it.  Your coworker calls you out on it and exposes your mistake to everyone else.  You become angry and decide that you no longer like that coworker and cease talking to him.  Look within yourself—it is not the coworkers’ actions but your own pride that is the issue at stake. 

 These are just a few examples of how people can become controlled by the demons which live inside their hearts.  When we fail to recognize them, we find excuses for our problems in the outside world.  In reality, no one and nothing is responsible for the way we perceive our lives other than ourselves.  We have the choice to be miserable and constantly blame the world for the undesirable things in our lives, or to look within ourselves and correct our hearts.     

You and only you are responsible for everything you think, do, and say.  Take some time to yourself to focus on these things.  Hear your thoughts, see your actions, and study your words.  If you discover that these things are mostly negative, or if you begin blaming outside sources for what you find, it is time to make a change.  It may be hard to admit to yourself that what lies in your own heart is the source of your burdens, but the great thing is that you also have the control to make a change.  You have the strength to overcome your troubles and become the best version of you. You have the ability to find acceptance in what lies behind you and create happiness in what lies before you.  You are the one who is able to enrich that which lies within you.