If I Could Do It All Over Again

If I could do it all over again, I would ask him about his garden.  This is a picture of the front yard when I was growing up on the south side of Chicago.  Certainly, not a lot of room.  Yet my father took great pride in it and found little nooks and crannies to plant bushes, brightly colored flowers, and even a few decorative pavers.  He LOVED planting and nurturing and showing off his garden.  And as I think back to my younger days, I never asked him about it.

That would be one of my “do-overs.”  I would ask my Dad to show me his garden, small but mighty.  I’d love to know why he enjoyed it so much and why he found such peacefulness in the geraniums and marigolds.  More than anything I would love to connect with him over something he enjoyed doing so much.

Of all the “do-overs†I’d like to have, this is the one that tops my list.  So now, when I get together with the people I love, or even those that I just like, I think about asking them about their passions and hobbies and what makes them happy.  I try to enter into their world, if only for a little while, and see life through their eyes and learn from them.  In the process, I’m hoping to reduce my list of “do-overs.”  I’m hoping to find that peacefulness my Dad found in his garden.

Categories: Personal Development Positive Attitude Professional Development Professional Speaker
Tags: Do Overs in Life, Gardens, Positive Attitude, Professional Speaker