the world would be a better place if....

I loved the Reflections contest when I was younger.  I think I entered every year.  So at the start of this year when I had the opportunity to sign up for different volunteer opportunities at Anna's school, this was at the top of my list.  And although it was more work than I anticipated (I'm know that I am both new and naive at this whole "school parent" thing), it still inspired me.  I love seeing what kids can create.  The theme this year was "the world would be a better place if..." One boy wrote a seriously awesome song on the guitar about things that make us happy, and it was snappy and memorable and really adorable!

It was also interesting to see some of the reoccurring themes among the artwork.  Recycling was the most common one.  Its obvious that we live in a place that really cares about the environment.  But to me, recycling to extend the life of the earth is just a small part of what makes the world better.

I couldn't help but think about how I would finish that sentence.

The world would be a better place if...

We all looked at the stars more.
We took a few deep breaths before we talked to our children.
Everyone ate pancakes with their families in the morning
We lived by the mantra "if you can't say something nice don't say anything at all"
Everyone got a great education
Everyone had graham crackers and milk at 3 pm
Everyone spent more time playing at the park

And I know that these things ignore the obvious wrongs in the world like homeless children and diseases and war and guns and hatred and prejudice, but my "world" right now is about 1400 square feet and is full of Anna and Benjamin and dishes and library books and coloring books and different "chore chart" attempts.  So I am going to try to improve the world on a micro level-- one toddler and Kindergartener at a time.