Cartoons Are For Adults Too!

Franklin has become my new favorite cartoon. Yes. I said cartoon. As you already know, I have a beautiful, bright, witty, amusing, sociable, and impressionable 5 year old daughter. My husband and I hand pick the programming she is allowed to watch on television and Franklin is on the top of the list. Basically, the show begins with Franklin a talking, life-size turtle, doing the things that typical toddlers do. He has a hard time sharing with friends. He gets over competitive at school and with sports. He gets angry with his little sister. He is a picky eater…you know, kid stuff. By the end of each show he realizes that there are consequences for his actions. His friends ignore him. He gets punished for being mean to his sister. He gets singled out at school. Yet in the end, he is grateful for the lessons he has learned along the way. He also promises never to repeat those actions again and shares those lessons with his friends.

Side bar: Franklin isn’t the only talking animal on the show, but he is the only one with a name. That fact is so funny to me. Franklin is a must see!

Ok, I’m back…

I was reminded of Franklin during a conversation I had yesterday. I was talking to someone who was feeling as if life was being too hard on him. He admits that he has made some mistakes along the way, but insists that at this stage in his life, he is doing everything right. Of course, I asked him if he has learned from his mistakes. He said yes. So, I asked him to share the lessons with me. Aside from saying he would never do those things again, he had no clear answer for me.

I believe that nothing that has happened in my life has been for naught. Every circumstance, those that I have created and those that were out of my control, has occurred to teach me something that will add value to my life or to the lives of those who will read my blog, listen to me speak, or sing the songs that I write. I have made many mistakes. I have endured difficult circumstances. I have also worked diligently at a plan that has failed and I have often given more than I have received on many occasions. And just like my friend, I have felt like life was being way too hard on me…even now…that I am doing everything that I know to do to create the life I know I deserve, I find myself asking life to cut me some slack. Then, just like Franklin I realize that there consequences for every action. Even the ones I feel I have been forced to take.

While you are considering your current circumstance, consider the lesson it is meant to teach you. If you are having difficulty running your own business, consider the lessons you may have missed when you were an employee. If you have having difficulty with a friend, consider the lessons you may have missed from friends you have lost. There is always more to learn and further to develop. Just when you think you are doing all you can, do more. We all know that bad things can happen to good people. But consider the idea that those bad things can also make a good person, better.

To Blog…Nakeia