Conversation with Sophie at Sonic.
I ordered our drinks and the speaker voice gave me my total....
Sophie: Stores just want money.
Me: Well, yes, they're not going to give things away for free.
Sophie: Not me.
Me: You're going to open a store and give things away for free?
Sophie: Yes--'cause I don't want money so much.
Me: What do you want?
Sophie: I just want to be happy.
Me: How do you become happy?
Sophie: Just giving other people what they want.
So, I don't know how many Zig Ziglar fans there are out there but Sophie's line of thinking goes right along with his, "To get everything you want, you have to help enough other people get--what they want"--a truth that I think applies to everything from friendship to business to marriage.
Obviously Sophie's philosophy of happiness needs fleshing out. Still, I think she's wise beyond her years and has a heart that is truly special. What a job, to be her parent, entrusted to shepherd that heart into adulthood. This is no small work we do.
Hmm...Sophie has a generous little heart, but "just giving people what they want" is no road to happiness. As a matter of fact it makes people dependent and lazy. So hug her for me, but remind her if you gave her everything she wanted it would be very bad for her.
ReplyDeleteHugs!
Mom
Right--Clearly "obey God's will" would be a better answer but at her age, if someone had asked me what I thought would make me happy, I probably would have said, "a tape recorder". Her response told me that she is detached from money and knows that happiness has much to do with our relationships with others. It is a good place to start and, honestly, I was so interested in the conversation that I didn't want to get didactic on her and discourage further discussion.
ReplyDeleteAh, but you were in school where everybody has to keep up with the possessions of everybody else -- one of the advantages of home schooling - less influence by the peer group. And she already has good parents, a bike, an ugly dol,l and Harriet. What else can one need?
ReplyDelete