The other day I was in a fast food restaurant eating my grilled chicken salad & trying to read a magazine. There was a young mother nearby with a bevy of restless little boys around her. It was obvious they were all hers, they all looked like her. The oldest looked to be about 8 & the youngest just a baby of about a year.

The youngest became so restless and squirmy, his mother finally let him out of his high chair & asked the oldest boy, who had finished eating, to watch the baby while she and the other 2 boys finished their meal.

Now my kids will always be my babies but physically they are all grown up at 23, 20 & 17. I remember those days of having little rug rats under foot and all the milestones they go through while on their journey to adulthood.

I became fascinated watching this little guy. He was just learning to walk. He would push himself off the ground, wobble a little on his unsteady feet, and take a step or two. The look of joy and pride on his face that he was doing it was so fun to watch. But then, guess what happened? He fell right on his well padded little bum. I know it couldn’t have hurt too much. I think it hurt his pride more than his bottom. He cried like his little heart would break for about 20 seconds and then he stopped. Almost as fast as he started. Then, he got back up on his chubby little legs and toddled off again.

It only took a few seconds before that aha moment hit me. I realized there was something I could learn from this baby. Something we all could learn. Something we probably all knew at one time. Many of us have lost this life skill over many years of having life throw too many curve balls at us.

This baby didn’t give up. He lives fully in every moment he is alive. He experiences pure joy at his accomplishments. He is not thinking about what time mommy is going to put him down for a nap, nor is holding a grudge because his brother took his toy that morning. No, he’s just living in the moment and enjoying the pure joy of doing what he set out to do.

Next, he experienced a let down. Literally and figuratively. He fell down. He didn’t bury that disappointment deep in the pit of his stomach. He didn’t blame every one else. He didn’t go into a depressed state and feel sorry for himself. He felt the emotion fully for a minute and then he got over it. I’m thinking if he hadn’t invested himself fully in that moment and let himself feel deeply, it would have taken him much longer to get over it.

The last really intelligent thing this little guy did was he got back up! He got over the sorrow & then he tried again. How many of us when something does not work out, decided: “Well that’s it. That did not work so I am not putting myself out there and trying that again!” Hey if we all had that attitude as babies, we would all still be crawling around the floor.

So there you have it. Even as an adult, we can still learn from the little people around us. Next time I have a set back, I plan to remember that baby and emulate him. And when I fall on my naturally padded bum, I plan to have a good cry for a few minutes, and then I am going to get up and try again!