5 things I stand for

Yesterday I was driving down the highway and I noticed yet another pink ribbon license plate. It reminded me of my recent trip to the DMV. There are a ton of options for support themed plates. Anything from various causes to groups to view points. In Colorado we also have a “Pioneer” plate, which used to be really difficult to get. You had to be able to prove some heritage associated with Colorado, but now it’s easier to come by.

This got me thinking. We all have various things we support, often times these topics change as our life changes. There are a lot of issues that are important to me. A wide array of issues I support and a multitude of topics I have opinions on. Yet, which are significant enough that I would choose them as the single license plate for my vehicle?

There are definitely more than 5 things in my mind I would plaster as a topic I’d like to voice my view on. This is my top five list for today, in no particular order.

1. Children – Family in general is important to me, but our kids are the ones that need us most. I think far too many people forget our children are born geniuses with a view of the world many of us have lost sight of as we’ve gotten older. Our kids are our teachers as well as we should be theirs. If we stop and listen to them, it’s amazing what they can teach us about love and life. They need us the most, and we need them just as much.

2. Fighting Cancer – many of my family members have been hit one way or another by the ugliness that is cancer. More recently I’ve realized how many people in the world, outside my own little bubble, battled the various forms of this disease. There is so much pain and human destruction from so many things, but cancer seems to be something we should be able to fix. Maybe in a bigger picture I’d say I would like to simply fight disease or pain in general, but for today the label is Cancer. I wish there was more I could do to help.

3. Peace – not to sound like a beauty pageant type answer, but more of a state of mind kind of answer. Everything starts within ourselves, and peace is no exception. On days that I can find and hold on to my own inner peace, I am so much more helpful, kind and giving. I’m more capable of caring and being patient or even stopping to really listen. I need to remember each day to find this place, for the benefit of those around me.

4. Learning – Every day we learn something new, and we should continue to remember and make note of it. I had the opportunity to talk with two little girls yesterday while waiting with my 2 year old daughter at an appointment. One of the girls was pointing out all of the toys and commenting to me that the toys could teach my daughter various things. I replied that we all learn something every day, we just need to stop and think about what it is. The other girl heard this. She stopped, thought for a moment, and started rattling off all the things she’d learned in the last 10 minutes. At my house, we often go around the dinner table listing what we’ve learned for the day.

5. Thankfulness – Thanks is such a huge encompassing topic. I think it’s more about appreciateion. When we are thankful for something, the impact can be enormously wide reaching, and one little act of thanks can have a ripple effect we won’t ever see the end result. If we take the time to stop and show our gratitude for even the smallest of things, it could impact someone else greatly – that act of reaching out without anything more than to say thank you – it is a powerful gift to give.

I bet you thought I was going to say penguins, didn’t you?