A wise 4 year old once told me...

Last week, my mom packed up my two little sisters (10 & 4) and came to visit me in California.  It was such a fun couple of days filled with girly cupcakes, frolicking on the beach and visiting Knott's Berry Farm.  The best part though was getting to see the world through a four year old eyes.  Beautiful eyes at that.

This is my little sister Paige.  She has an incredible zest for life, no fear and she is a total ham.  She's got perfect "boingy" curls, eyes bluer than the ocean and a personality bigger than her little body can contain.  She may be 23 years my junior, but she reminded me of a few things, so I thought I would share a few gems with you all.  Couldn't we all use a little four year old wisdom.

Live every day like it's the best day ever.  I can't tell you how many times during her trip she said, "This is the best day ever!".   Playing in the sand on the beach, despite the cold, "This is the best day ever!" While on her first ride of the day, mid plunge, "this is the best day ever!" On every ride that followed, "this is the best day ever!"  After rattling off her Christmas list to Santa and after practicing her ninja skills, "this is the best day ever."  Sometimes it was a whisper, some times it was an excited squeal, but she never forgot to let everyone know it.  

There is always a reason to dance.  Trust me, there is always a reason.  Music or not.

Own your feelings and then get over it. She's just a little munchkin, so she wasn't tall enough to ride some of the big roller coasters   When mom and big sis Courtney went on a particular ride, she wept quietly into her knees on the bench beside me.  When I asked her what was wrong, she said simply, "I'm just sad."  No long drawn out explanation.  She just simply was sad.   But within minutes, we found a merry-go-round and she got to ride a bunny.  I asked her if she was still sad and she said, "Nope!  I got over it."

Be who you are. That can mean a lot of things. She's not shy.  She doesn't care what people think of her.  She just is who she is.    

Be kind, but stand up for yourself.  Paige has a kind heart.  She is always trying to cheer up other people, even strangers, when they are sad.  However, don't do her wrong.  While at Knott's we went to see the Charlie Brown Christmas Show.  During the show the characters came off the stage and handed out jingle bells to every kid in the audience... except Paige.  She was crushed.  After the show we spotted Snoopy and Paige knew exactly what to do.  She marched right up to Snoopy, gave him a hug and said, "Snoopy, Charlie Brown was mean to me!"  She was quite pleased with herself and told us all that Snoopy would take care of it.  

Be the leading lady in your own life.  For Paige, that means you can be a princess any day of the year, preferably days that costumes are not the normal attire.  The thing is, no matter what she is wearing, she is definitely the star in her own life.  And she doesn't apologize for it.

Funny faces and double fisting, yeah, I'm a good role model...

I am pretty sure the life of a four year old is really awesome, but there is no reason that I can't incorporate some of her wisdom into my life at age 27.  And you can too!

Just remember,

Today is the best day ever!!!