I find this photo of my niece Mila to be one of the most inspiring. She exudes happiness – to the core. Her smile, her hand holding her friend's hand, her arms outstretched. She is LIFE in this photo. I can’t look at it and NOT feel empowered to smile and feel like my best self.
Most of you know, Mila is my brother’s daughter with Ellie, my sister in law. You also know my brother passed away when Mila was 2. She is 3 now. Mila knows sad. She knows people can leave and not come back. She kisses Daddy’s photo, which we display always. She wears his hats and talks to him and about him all the time. She feels pain and hurt and knows it in a way that nobody should have to, let alone at 3 years old.
Mila knows sad. She knows people can leave and not come back.
But as you can see in this photo, Mila also knows love. She knows happy. She knows safe and secure. She knows having friends. Mila knows how to be so in the moment and present and blissed out that nothing else matters. Mila is a gift and her soul shining through in this photo can be a lesson to us all.
Mila also knows love. She knows happy. She knows safe and secure. She knows having friends.
My hope, my goal, my dream is to feel this way every day of my life. And I don't just want that for myself... I want all of us to be able to find a moment like this, every day of our lives. I think if we all could capture one moment of this pure joy, we could build on that and feel this way many moments of our days. Imagine a world where everyone is just living their best life. How happy and beautiful that would be.
So today, whether it’s a beautiful, sunshine and rainbows kind of day or a gloom and doom rainy day – find ONE moment where you can open your arms, your heart, your soul... and be like Mila.