A Bit Of A Smile

We were at the library. We were standing by the fish tank, doing the “fish tank stare.” Our daughter said, “We should get some fish.”  

She went on, “Fish are nice to look at, “ and then she finished with, “if you look really closely, sometimes they have a bit of a smile.”

Life is filled with challenges. It’s filled with triumphs, too. We can’t get away from facing the challenges. When we try, they just get more challenging. Turning away from challenges makes them grow. They follow us. They hide and they jump out at us. They insist. They’re quite stubborn.  

Triumphs are shy. They’re humble. They don’t mind going unnoticed. They’re happy just to be. They’re content. The purpose they serve is to simply serve their purpose. 

Maybe we should pay triumphs the kind of attention we pay to challenges. Maybe more.

When you think about it, challenges and triumphs are indelibly connected. Actually, one might say that they’re two parts of the same thing. 

If you visualize a challenge as a journey, a process, or something in motion, you should be able to name one part of that process the “triumph” part. The triumph is the part where the challenge is solved, overcome, or reconciled. It’s the end, the desired outcome, or in some cases one of the ebbs (of flows, depending on how you interpret ebbs and flows).

Fish are nice to look at, in part because if you look closely it looks like they have a bit of a smile. 

When we celebrate triumphs there’s often a bit of a smile associate with the celebration.

When we anticipate triumphs there’s often a bit of smile associated with the anticipation.

Maybe we should do more of both, more frequently. When things are nice to look at, life is nice too.

It it together for the kids!

Live. Love. Listen. Learn. Lead. Thanks.