She Built Her Own

My daughter was talking to her cousin the other day, and he was telling her all about his Rubik's Cube.

She thought it was fascinating.

After hearing about it, she asked if she could get one the next time we went to town.

I told her we could.

The only problem was that we weren't planning to go anytime soon.

A few days later, she came to me carrying something she had made.

With a huge smile on her face, she proudly presented her own Rubik's Cube, built entirely from blocks she already had.

It wasn't a perfect replica, and it wasn't supposed to be.

What struck me most wasn't what she had built. It was how proud she was of it.

She wasn't focused on what she didn't have.

She was focused on what she could create.

This isn't the first time she's done something like this.

When she wants something and doesn't have it, she often finds a way to make her own version.

A toy becomes a craft project.

An idea becomes an invention.

A limitation becomes an opportunity.

Watching her reminded me of something I've noticed about life.

Many of us spend a great deal of time focusing on what we don't have.

The right opportunity.

The right circumstances.

The right resources.

The right timing.

We tell ourselves we'll enjoy something once those things arrive.

Children often see things differently.

They find ways to enjoy the moment they are already in.

They create.

They imagine.

They adapt.

As I listened to my daughter explain every detail of her homemade Rubik's Cube, I couldn't help but wonder if adults sometimes lose that ability.

Maybe one of the secrets to joy isn't having everything we want.

Maybe it's learning to make something beautiful with what we already have.