When my little family hits a rough patch brought on by challenging news, or unplanned expenses, or.. well, life, we always decide to make time for a quick breather, a reset, a recharge. Quite often this is simply a hike in nearby Patapsco Valley State Park.
Being surrounded by trees, breathing fresh air, and listening to silence will charge up your batteries fast, reframe your thoughts, and allow you to shift your focus to all things positive. If you are a believer in the law of attraction (I am!), you know that your thoughts influence your existence, and everyday life.
While on one of our hikes after learning of a few unexpected expenses, talking about budgeting, and ways to make lemonade out of those lemons, we found a $20 bill. #truestory The next day or so, my daughter found multiple coins on her way home from school. And again the following week.
Since my youngest was delighted by our good fortune, we decided to turn it into a game. Instead of leaving it up to chance, and considering it coincidence, we wanted to make a conscious effort to walk through life with eyes wide open and to see how much we could find in one year. Of course, it wasn't just about how much, but more about the what.
So over the next twelve months we collected all the coins - and a few $1 bills - that we didn't just simply stumble upon but spotted with our eyes wide open, in a little bowl. A year later, right after Thanksgiving, my daughter tallied it all up, collectively we had found $12.71, plus the $20 bill that started it all. 12 dollars and seventyone cents. My daughter's saving account earned her 44 cents in interest over the same 12 months!
One could argue that my daughter is just lucky (she certainly does seem to have been blessed with a lucky gene). But I firmly believe that this is about so much more than sheer luck. She truly believes. She truly believes in positivity, in good fortune, in kindness, and in doing the right things. She keeps an open mind, is tolerant, and surrounds herself with people who cheer her on, and stays away from people who want to dim others light.
Our little experiment resulted in much more than $12.71 - which will be used to either support a small, locally owned business, or a good cause. It resulted in more positivity, and in a conscious effort to focus on the good. It resulted in finding ways to make others smile, in noticing a flower amidst a sea of weeds, and appreciating small moments of bliss that would have otherwise just passed us by.
All three of us are succeeding in keeping a more positive mind and attitude, and walking through life with eyes wide open. It's quite beautiful, and I can't wait to see how much more we will find in the future.
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