Do More Gooder

Without question, some of the best conversations I've had in life have been with little kids ... 3- to 4-year-old little kids in particular. It's like they spend those first couple or so years of their lives listening to what everyone else has to say and then when they hit three or four, they are ready to tell anyone who will listen what's going on inside their little minds. Back before Christmas, I spent an evening with an adorable 3 1/2-year-old little boy ... who talked nonstop until he fell asleep while I was reading him a bedtime story. That little guy said some really funny things that evening, but I think perhaps the one that tickled me the most was when he climbed into my lap and innocently said, "You smell wike cheese. Cheese is my bestest food ... I weally wike cheese." I'm not sure if my little friend was trying to tell me he liked me or if he just wanted a piece of cheese ... either way, his declaration of my cheesy body aroma has given me more than a few hearty chuckles.

You know what makes talking to little kids so wonderful, right? It's their honesty, their pure hearts and their innocent minds. It's knowing that they have no hidden agendas or ulterior motives. It's not having to wonder where you stand with them. If little kids don't like you, they tell you they don't like you. If you try to weasel out of a promise you made to them, they remind you that you said the "p" word ... and then you feel so guilty you end up buying them 50 ice cream cones instead of the one you originally promised you'd buy them. (Note: There's a big giant lesson there about being true to your word.) And if you are totally sucking when you're playing a memory game with them, they tell you that you need to "Do more gooder, Ghee." Yep, when I was in Canada over Christmas, my almost 4-year-old granddaughter told me more than once that I needed to "do more gooder." And you know what? She was absolutely right.

The more I've thought about my little Coraline's intruction, the more I've thought about all the areas in my life where I need to "do more gooder." I need to do more gooder listening ... I need to do more gooder helping ... I need to do more gooder caring ... I need to do more gooder loving ... I need to do more gooder giving ... I need to do more gooder being there when my family and friends need me. I need to do more gooder in so very many things, friends ... and I'm willing to bet my last penny that I'm not the only one who does.

Think about it ... what if every single one of us lived every single moment of our lives trying to do more gooder in everything we say and do. If we did, I think the world would be a much better place. Think about it ... think about it and then get out there ... get out there and do more gooder with every breath you take. Do more gooder ... I think those are words to live by, my friends ... I think they are indeed.