Sharing.

A number of years ago, there was a book that was published titled, "All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten." The book was very well received and often quoted in the press; it dealt with the real life learning we encounter when we step foot in our first "big school" classroom. What Robert Fulghum wrote was really very true...yes there are many things we learn outside of the kindergarten classroom that help us through life, but the basics are developed with that first "exposure" to life outside the home.

So does it stick?

For most we hope it does, for many unfortunately we see cracks in the foundation. It might be the bully who is on the playground in 4th grade, the adult who treats a child like he is an adult by making abusive comments, or the associate who can only wield a sharp knife while continuing to stab those around them in the back; there are others, but if we really applied what we learned when we were molding ourselves for the future, maybe life would be a little bit easier for all. Who knows? I do. I know for a fact if you are nice to people, the worst they will say about you is he is a nice person. I can think of a lot worse things to hear about oneself. They might say you are incompetent, lacking knowledge, or a number of different comments---but saying some one is nice can take you in a million different directions. By the way, once you find your path in life, the incompetency, knowledge deficiency and other comments tend to fade away. But, being told you are "liked" is something that can follow you for life.

As we get older, we begin to give back in different ways. Sure when we were young we would tell our parents "we loved them" and special comments that got us that special "feeling deep inside of ourselves;" as we mature, yes even I did, we give out more of what's inside of us because it makes us feel good. To think, we learned all of this through experiences when we were young and exposed to the good things life has to offer---this is before we learned all about predjiduce, hatred and other things we probably learned after we left kindergarten.

The photo above was taken recently during a photo shoot; what I really like most about it is how these 2 very young children understand the importance of sharing. Sure they may have pulled the stuffed animal back after handing it to the other person, but it was the first action that said it all. It was, "here let me share this with you." I really hope during the challenges American families are facing and have faced that there is a lot more "reaching out" and sharing from one person the next. It really is not painful, it actually makes you feel very good. It's been a long time since I was in kindergarten, hopefully back then they knew what was necessary to make it in the future after those children walked out the door and into first grade---if anything, I hope people feel I am a nice person.

Thanks for stopping by.