Kids and their bags of toys. My son and his bag of toys. Those two are pretty inseparable, and therein lie some of my life lessons.
From my son’s bag of toys, I have learnt to prioritize so that there’s time for the big stuff, you know, the important stuff: like family, making time for my son, doing my devotion. That way, the ‘small stuff’ like my favourite series (anybody waiting on Suits new season?), my choice of decadent chocolate fudge and everything inbetween will align accordingly.
Recently, I went to the supermarket to get him a new blackboard – because I was tired of graffiti in my bedroom, charcoal drawings of his family and twisted letters on the walls. Walking through Nakumatt’s toy-packed aisles, I was somewhat dumbfounded. The sheer number of toys and in the background shrill voices of excited kids telling their mummies and daddies what they wanted got me thinking for a moment, whether I would change my choice of gift for him (the blackboard).
With a bag full of toys, I thought otherwise, and settled on getting him the blackboard. It got methinking of the parallels between my son’s behaviour with new toys and the gusto with which I take on new projects. When my son gets a new toy, he will often be so excited about it, that his former favourite toys get the backseat as the ‘new catch’ spills onto the living room floor. After a few days, the ‘new catch’ becomes just like all his other toys. This scenario is repeated with every new toy or gadget.
Doesn’t this sound like many of us? Only that in place of toys we have projects, ventures, businesses and relationships? How often do we start off a new project with so much enthusiasm, only for it to wax cold midway and get the back seat?
How many times do we get into a new relationship with fiery love, only to let the dying embers flicker in the background a few months in? Isn’t it common to plunge into a venture because it sounded like a million bucks, but have our commitment falter when it is no longer convenient? How about the way,when our kids are born, we get so caught up in the first days, promising ourselves to be the bestparents, only to throw in the towel when terrible twos kick in?
The more I thought about this, the more the need for commitment glared in my face. Commitment when it is not convenient, when the excitement wanes, Commitment in spite of the challenges, even when it costs a lot more, Staying true to the course of what we set to do, Staying focused. Prioritizing what matters – A bag full of toys, and life lessons.
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