In this column and in my Sunday sermons, I often quote words of wisdom from ministers and authors. Today instead, I am quoting the wisdom of a 5 year-old boy, which I found on social media today. The boy’s mom told the little boy that she was nervous about a meeting she had later in the day. The boy said, “Mama, I am nervous all the time. I know what to do,” and proceeded to give her this advice:
1. “You gotta say your affirmations in your mouth and your heart. You say, I am brave of this meeting! I am loved! I smell good! and you say five or three or ten until you know it.”
2. “You gotta walk big. You gotta mean it. Like Dolly on a dinosaur. Because you got it.”
3. “Never put a skunk on a bus.”
4. “Think about the donuts of your day! Even if you cry a little, you can think of potato chips!”
5. “You gotta take a deep breath and you gotta do it again.”
6. “Even if it’s a yucky day, you can get a hug.”
(FaceBook post by StressieBessie@EPrecipice)
Best advice ever.
I especially love the first and last pieces of advice here. First, affirmations are amazing. A minister today reminded me that human thinking is hard-wired to emphasize the negative, and therefore we should think two positive thoughts for every negative one. Affirmations are a great way to overcome negativity and self-doubt. Some affirmations that I find helpful are, “I feel my feelings without avoiding them,” and “I honor my commitments to myself and others.” I think I will add, “I smell good!” The little boy’s last piece of advice, about getting a hug, reminds us that we are not alone and that we need one another. In this time of COVID isolation for many of us, we can actually give ourselves a hug. That may sound silly, but I invite you to try it. It does feel good. I feel warmth and love when I give myself a hug.
It was a UU minister, Robert Fulghum, who wrote the essay (and book) called “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.” This 5 year-old child is of about that age, and reminds us all that there is wisdom in children equal to--or surpassing--the wisdom of adults. May we be open to receive that wisdom.
PRAYER:
God of children and adults, Spirit of playfulness and truth-telling, hear this prayer.
May each of us find our affirmations and say them in our mouths and in our hearts. May they strengthen our self-esteem and our courage.
May we be alive to the child within, that spirit of innocence and playfulness and wonder, that place of conviction and joy, that loving part of us. May we cherish all the children in our lives and the child within each one of us.
Blessed be.
Rev. Andrew Frantz
January 27, 2022
1. “You gotta say your affirmations in your mouth and your heart. You say, I am brave of this meeting! I am loved! I smell good! and you say five or three or ten until you know it.”
2. “You gotta walk big. You gotta mean it. Like Dolly on a dinosaur. Because you got it.”
3. “Never put a skunk on a bus.”
4. “Think about the donuts of your day! Even if you cry a little, you can think of potato chips!”
5. “You gotta take a deep breath and you gotta do it again.”
6. “Even if it’s a yucky day, you can get a hug.”
(FaceBook post by StressieBessie@EPrecipice)
Best advice ever.
I especially love the first and last pieces of advice here. First, affirmations are amazing. A minister today reminded me that human thinking is hard-wired to emphasize the negative, and therefore we should think two positive thoughts for every negative one. Affirmations are a great way to overcome negativity and self-doubt. Some affirmations that I find helpful are, “I feel my feelings without avoiding them,” and “I honor my commitments to myself and others.” I think I will add, “I smell good!” The little boy’s last piece of advice, about getting a hug, reminds us that we are not alone and that we need one another. In this time of COVID isolation for many of us, we can actually give ourselves a hug. That may sound silly, but I invite you to try it. It does feel good. I feel warmth and love when I give myself a hug.
It was a UU minister, Robert Fulghum, who wrote the essay (and book) called “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.” This 5 year-old child is of about that age, and reminds us all that there is wisdom in children equal to--or surpassing--the wisdom of adults. May we be open to receive that wisdom.
PRAYER:
God of children and adults, Spirit of playfulness and truth-telling, hear this prayer.
May each of us find our affirmations and say them in our mouths and in our hearts. May they strengthen our self-esteem and our courage.
May we be alive to the child within, that spirit of innocence and playfulness and wonder, that place of conviction and joy, that loving part of us. May we cherish all the children in our lives and the child within each one of us.
Blessed be.
Rev. Andrew Frantz
January 27, 2022
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