Taking A Lesson From A Top
In this day and age of electronic gadgets, iPods, PSPs, XBox 360s, HD TVs, TiVo, Plasma monitors, Surround Sound Dolby Digital speakers and the whole host of other "modern conveniences" that fill every second of every day of our life, how often do we stop and appreciate the truly simple things?
As we walk down the streets we have headphones in our ears. As we wait on the buses we are writing emails on our BlackBerry or playing games on a PSP. When we go home we flip on the TV to see what the TiVo recorded for us. In our spare moments we surf the internet for the latest news and distractions. When we cook we watch the portable DVD player in our kitchens. We are always doing something, playing something, or distracting ourselves with something. And if we are not... we instinctively think we need to buy something to fill that gap. Honestly, when does any of us have a spare moment to just stop and contemplate life?
A Valuable Lesson
Our work often takes us into the tiny streets of Manzanillo. During the day these streets can sometimes be all but empty, but come evening time and the streets come alive. Families gather together as parents get off work and children return from school. The neighborhoods come alive with laughter, music, and children playing in the streets.
What is truly amazing to me is that there is not a PSP in sight, nobody is playing with the latest Bakugan toys or joining a Lego Star Wars club (which I have to admit is pretty cool...), and nobody is fighting over the controller for the XBox. The vast majority of the time the kids don't even own one. You show them an iPod and they inform you that they could pay their rent and food for that price. What they do have, though, is a simple spinning top. It has a string you wind around it and with a deft flick of the wrist the skilled player can send the top spinning and do some pretty amazing tricks with it. Every kid has one, they cost like 15 pesos. For hours they chase them in the streets, laughing and excited while their parents look on from their brightly painted houses with smiles in their eyes.
They may not have much in Mexico, but they know how to make the most of it.
Maybe there is a lesson for us here. Maybe true happiness does not lie in buying the latest gadget, the fastest computer, or a TV and sound system we really can't afford. Perhaps we can learn a lesson about priorities from a simple childs toy like the Top. In this time of economic downturn it may be a lesson that many have to learn the hard way. Appreciate the simple things in life. Take those spare moments and reflect on you, your family, and what is truly important. Return to the basic joys in life- sunsets, reading, or just enjoying peace and quiet with your family. Who knows, you might just find yourself happier than you could ever have imagined!
Admirably, many in Manzanillo do just that.
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Well put! For a long time in the early years of our children I would make toys for them. My desire was to delay the “discovery” of battery-operated toys. It was amazing to watch how much fun our children could have with a large empty box made into a fort or cardboard castle.
Good memories.
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