“I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.”
-Mother Teresa
For as long as I can remember, my Dad would say, “Be good, do good.” He would say this every day as we left the house. A simple mantra, and a reminder to work hard and be a good person.
This week, Trey (our five-year-old), had “Kindergarten Orientation.” As they headed in, my wife sent me a picture of him. I immediately flashed back to getting dropped off at school, and that mantra came right back. “Be good, do good.”
Simple. Clear. Concise.
I thought about it and saw how easily we can over-complicate our lives. We allow an over-complicated world to make us feel like it’s harder than just being good and doing good.
I got back to work. Natalie and Trey came back excited about his classmates, teachers, and the craft they did. Then, he handed me a paper from his teacher.
You may have read it or heard of it before, but I think it’s worth the reminder.
All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten by Robert Fulghum
Most of what I really need
To know about how to live
And what to do and how to be
I learned in kindergarten.
Wisdom was not at the top
Of the graduate school mountain,
But there in the sandpile at Sunday school.
These are the things I learned:
Share everything.
Play fair.
Don’t hit people.
Put things back where you found them.
Clean up your own mess.
Don’t take things that aren’t yours.
Say you’re sorry when you hurt somebody.
Wash your hands before you eat.
Flush.
Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.
Live a balanced life –
Learn some and think some
And draw and paint and sing and dance
And play and work every day some.
Take a nap every afternoon.
When you go out into the world,
Watch out for traffic,
Hold hands and stick together.
Be aware of wonder.
The world, our projects or our professional lives may make us feel like life is more complicated. Let this be a reminder to simplify and look back on those important lessons from Kindergarten.
Each and every day, let’s try to “be good” and “do good.”
BJ Kraemer, President