I’d like to introduce you to my bff, Leia.
That is Princess Leia to those of you who have not made her acquaintance yet….And, yes, it IS pronounced the very same!!! Such a great name, right?!?! Well, she is on her way to being VERY famous and well-known, I have no doubt!!
Maybe not in royalty….though you never know….but you can tell that no matter which path she chooses, with her persona and her efficient adaptation to new skills, that she will be dedicated, give it her all, and find great success wherever she goes!!
I have learned so much from Leia and her outlook on life. And I believe that this beautiful soul deserves to be recognized!
First of all, Leia is full of happiness and joy! That is how she wakes up, that is how she greets everyone, and that is her natural state of being. She just exudes positivity and love and it makes her company so inviting because she emits such warm, loving, and joyous energy.
When people radiate their inner happiness to the world, it draws other people to them like a magnet because happy people are a pleasure to be around. Like Leia!!
No, that’s not Leia!! ^^^As much as she DOES seem so full of joy and of LIFE, doesn’t she??!!!!!!!
😃😃😃😃😃😃😃😃😃😃😃😃😃😃
Secondly, like every being on this planet, she does have moments or periods of time where her mood changes. This is when something unfortunate, stressful, or upsetting happens, of course. And the look on her face shows that she is visibly bothered and, depending on the situation, perhaps tears may fall, sobs or yelling may be heard, and/or irritability and an angry display may appear. We all handle our stress and adverse circumstances in very different ways.
However, here’s the thing about Leia. Most importantly, once her concerns are addressed, her needs are met, her tears are dried, and/or her stress is alleviated, THAT’S IT. She moves on with her life and leaves it all behind her, without carrying her stress, dragging the sadness behind her, or holding a grudge against someone or something. She just let’s it all go, every single time, like a brand-new woman who is ready to embrace the next moment with a full heart and an open mind.
Leia is one smart cookie, to deal with the stress ONLY when she MUST, and otherwise she prides herself on living stress-free and untethered…..
Wow, what a concept!!!!! “Stress-free” sounds like an unattainable aspiration (especially these days), doesn’t it? But that shouldn’t stop us from moving towards the things that make us happy and leaving the unpleasant things behind, as much as we possibly can. Soak up the good stuff and consciously move through and release the not-so-good stuff. Leia is so very wise!!!
Look at these lovely ladies making some cookies, speaking of being “a smart cookie!!!” 🍪 🍪 🍪
Oh, no, neither of these ladies are Leia either! But what do you think the caption of this photo should be??? ‘Mine!!’ or ‘Stop talking, it’s my turn.’ 🤪
Third, Leia loves simple pleasures immensely. She does not need grand entertainment, tons of material things, or complex plans to love her life and enjoy her time. Rather, she is so content to read, play games, listen or create music, find any reason to giggle, sing, drink a delicious beverage, have fun with her brother, or even just admire the view outside from her window.
Leia neither finds her life to be monotonous or boring nor does she require gigantic spectacles and complex ideals to feel fulfilled. Rather, she creates her own excitement by spending time with her own enjoyable simple pleasures or with the people whose company she loves and adores.
Nope, still no Leia in this photo – – are you getting curious yet??? You know her picture will emerge sooner or later, right?!?! 😉 And who doesn’t love a group hug with fabulous friends and family???!!!!
At least back in the day, pre-coronavirus-explosion, we did. Like when hugs and/or high-5’s were quite common and well-regarded. Waaaay more so than now, anyways. Sigh…..☹️
It’s okay, though. We are all managing and doing the very best that we can. And virtual hugs are totally acceptable and can be freely given anytime!!!!!
🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗See?????
Now, while you wait to meet the real Leia, I would like to introduce you to her brother, Dexter. He’s such a sweet boy and she loves him to pieces!!! Besides, adorable puppies have this magical ability to make us smile and that is something that we could all use, any time!! 😊🐶😊🐶😊🐶😊🐶
Okay, finally, Leia has this insatiable hunger for detail. She takes in the world around her, slowly and methodically, and focuses on what’s in front of her, fully and completely. In doing so, she wholly appreciates the item or task in front of her before turning her attention to something else.
Admiring the beauty of the flowers, one petal at a time, and taking it all in. That is how intently Leia examines her surroundings….though this is still not Miss Leia!!!! 🧐🌺
I think about how often I multi-task and how multi-tasking sometimes gets a lot of things done slowly as opposed to one thing completed a lot faster.
And hey, I totally recognize that multi-taskers can have mad skills and layer on the craziest combinations of tasks – – like the marathon runner that juggles at the same time while avoiding other runners and watching where he’s going……it’s amazing that he can do that, for 26.2 miles straight!!!!!
However, sometimes multi-tasking does not turn into the most productive process. I mean, I’m so curious how fast the juggling runner could run his marathon if he wasn’t juggling!!!! Probably crazy-fast, though maybe he would be awfully bored…🤔 Regardless, this is why I admire Leia’s ability to focus on one thing at a time, even with her short attention span….
Leia also notices the intricacies in her environment that perhaps we miss or take for granted. She loves bright colors, found outside, on her books, and on her possessions….
She gets mesmerized by bright and shiny lights because the glow pulls her right in and makes her eyes wide with wonder….
She loves touching different textures, from her blankets to the furniture to her adorable toys…..
Perhaps she sees everything as delicious and that’s why she enjoys putting her fingers, her play things, and random items into her mouth whenever she can…..
Leia loves to explore with her eyes and be aware of every detail that she finds. Rather than living a mundane existence and living in autopilot, no longer noticing the little things, Leia makes it a point to notice more and more, almost like it is the first time, every time. And it is the little things that culminate and become the big things so we can all learn from Leia’s example!!!!!
Voilà!!!!!!! This is the extraordinary Miss Leia, coming up on being 6 months old!!
Did you know that I was referring to a little peanut this whole time????
🥜 👶 🎀 🥜 👶 🎀 😁😁😁
I’m so fortunate to babysit my cousin Rachel’s daughter with my Mom and watch how quickly Leia is growing and developing!! Watch out, world, she is going to be a dominating force!!
And I am honored to witness Leia’s intelligent little mind blooming, her strength building, her features changing, her frame growing so quickly, (she has almost outgrown her 9-month onesies!!) and her awareness blossoming! It has been so much fun to spend time with this delightful lil’ munchkin!!! My Mom and I feel so incredibly fortunate – – thank you, Rachel and Ryan!!!! 😘🥰
And seriously, we can certainly learn so much from babies, toddlers, and the little humans in our lives!! The way that they see the world, interact with their environment, embrace being themselves – – – unapologetically and fully authentically, move with freedom and effortless joy, and seek all of the ways to have fun in each moment. No limits, no judgments, no fears, no self-created hindrances, no berating self-talk or burdensome beliefs…..only living and being in each and every moment.
Open the eyes. Take it all in. Enjoy being alive and experiencing all there is to experience. Find and embrace the good stuff, even while wading through the not-so-good stuff. Live. Love. Love more. Let go. Sleep and recharge. Repeat.
Thank you, Miss Leia, for these life lessons and the constant reminder to slow down and enjoy all of the little things. 😍❤️