Lessons from my niece

On Saturday, I had the opportunity to spend the entire day with my niece and it was just what my soul needed. She has developed a love of baking and I couldn’t be happier! As an avid baker myself, I’m so excited that we share this interest. We went to a cake decorating class, had lunch at Benihana, and then went to Kroger to buy baking supplies so she could make cupcakes for her class. I won’t go into details regarding’s each of those things (see pictures below), but instead want to share some life lessons I was reminded of by spending time with my niece.

·         Lesson 1: Let go of fear- As soon as we arrived at the cake decorating class, my niece was ready to jump right in! She looked over her supplies, asked me some questions, and got at it! She’s never been to a cake decorating class before, but that didn’t stop her from just doing it. She used so many different colors and decorating tips. She was so adventurous! When I decorate, I’m so fearful of making a mistake that I stop enjoying the process. I allow fear to plague me in powerful ways. This doesn’t just happen with baking either. I allow fear to take residence in my heart and mind far too often. Where in your life has fear taken over? How can you let fear go? My niece taught me that when we let go of fear, we can create beautiful things.

                                                             

                                                

·         Lesson 2: Speak your mind- Most people that know me would probably agree that I don’t have a hard time doing this! I probably speak before thinking far too often. When I was with my niece though, I was captivated by her willingness to speak her mind about everything! She talked about school, family, friends, what she good at, and the list goes on and on. She didn’t hesitate to speak about how she was really feeling. I was envious of her courage to share so authentically and she’s only 8! How many times have you wanted to speak up and share authentically but didn’t? Where do you censor yourself, when you shouldn’t? I pondered these questions after spending time with my niece. I feel so privileged that she trusts me with her whole self, what a blessing.

·         Lesson 3: Do what you love- This lesson was reaffirmed during my time with my niece. It’s so easy in life to let “being busy” allow us to forget what we love. To continue to put things off until it’s the right time. Who says we’re promised tomorrow? When I woke up on Saturday I was exhausted, I had a sore throat, and I just wanted to stay in my bed. However, I had an entire day planned with my niece. Once I picked her up, my mood completely changed. Her energy and excitement to do something she loved with her favorite auntie (I’m kidding Tosha, lol), was enough for me to change my attitude. I know that as a kid, she probably has more flexibility to do what she loves, but I believe we can all find the time. We don’t need an entire day; an hour or even 15 minutes could suffice. What do you love that you’ve abandoned? How do you get it back? My niece reminded me how much I love baking and how I need to make time for it. #NoMoreExcuses

My niece is confident, passionate, curious, intelligent, and hilarious!  I am continually amazed by the way she takes on the world. She’s a true gem. Being her auntie is a blessing that I’m so grateful for. She reminded me to let go of fear, speak my mind, and do what I love. What lessons can you learn from those around you? You never know who might be able to teach you something; are you open to receiving it?

Until next time,

Mika