Family Archives - Yanik Silver

There are no wrong turns

November 15, 2017 by Yanik Silver

The other night on the way to the cadre DC event in Silver Spring, I took a route I seldom take. And as I passed 16th St, I thought I recognized my very first apartment bldg my family lived in when we came to this country.

I considered stopping but wouldn’t be on time.

I pretty much forgot all about it as I left to go home. The scene outside was a bit foggy and rainy with plenty of bad traffic to contend with – not really optimal driving conditions. I missed a turn and went a different route home keeping an eye out for food to bring home to the family. I thought I was close to Parkway deli so scooted across 3 lanes….only to realize it wasn’t the right street.

Not even close.

Probably should have mapped it instead of relying on memory.

Oh well, I’ll just head back to the beltway and get something closer to home.

Several wrong turns later I was back on Georgia Ave but headed the opposite way back into downtown Silver Spring again.

At this point I was starting to get annoyed but then just as quickly I thought maybe something else interesting will pop up. I was still thinking food-wise.

Taking 16th St from a different direction, I realized I was looking at the wrong apartment building previously.

Hmmm…

I parked the car and all these feelings started welling up. I had never been back to this place for 37+ years. It wasn’t nostalgia but something else.

The bus stop out front did it for me.

To set up this story you need to understand Russian immigrants might do things a little differently. 😉

My parents headed off to work really early and I was supposed to get myself ready. There was a family friend/babysitter who lived in the same building and I’d wake up and go to her apartment before school.

Except one morning I didn’t show up.

That morning I got on my superman slippers and took my big leather European wallet/satchel with all my Hanukah money in it.

My 6 year-old self was determined to get on that bus and head to People’s Drug (anyone remember People’s before CVS?) and get markers and paper to draw with.

Plan seemed smart to me.

I got on the bus with no problem. Went to People’s and got my markers. All good.

But on the way back I had no idea things took a turn for the worse. I asked a woman for the bus to 16th st and she pointed me to some direction. As I sat on the bus looking out the window things definitely didn’t seem right. I had no clue there was a DC and MD side to 16th st.

When we came to the final stop the driver looked at me and said, “End of the line kid.”

Thankfully he didn’t let me get off when he saw the look on my face. He called the police and they took me to the station. I knew where my father worked and they managed to contact him to come pick me up. I had entertained the officers with some of my drawings.

This has always been a funny story in our family. How much I loved to draw, getting on the wrong bus, my determination, etc. but it could have turned out pretty different.

Tonight, when I sat in the parking lot all these intense feelings of unease and sadness came up as soon as I pulled in.

It felt like I was tapping into the fear my parents and family friends felt when they couldn’t find me. Talking about that incident as an adult to them a few years back they shared how terrified they were to check the metro tracks that ran behind the building for what they might find.

With my own kids now it’s painful to imagine what everyone went through for the time I was missing.

My attention shifted from forgiveness for what I put my parents through to myself. To be able to go “back” in time and provide love, protection and help for my scared 6-year old self.

As I sat there it seemed almost like I tapped into some sort of “frozen holographic slice” of time energy that had been “stuck” there. But now I had the tools to consciously navigate out.

From there with tears welling up in my eyes, I realized I was actually really close to Parkway Deli but only because of my detour and “wrong” turns.

Eclipsed

September 12, 2017 by Yanik Silver

After an incredible Camp Maverick, I woke up at 4 a.m. to catch a flight to Raleigh, NC. My wife, Missy, was kind enough to pack up the kids and drive halfway to SC to pick me up.

We got into Isle of Palms late in the afternoon to get ready for the big show the next day. The weather outlook wasn’t great at all, but I had hope. And in fact, it couldn’t have worked out better….

As the eclipse started, we got a few glimpses of the sun through the clouds. Because it was so cloudy, you could see one the greatest “cosmic coincidences”—that the moon is 1/400 the size of the sun and 1/400 the distance to the sun. It’s this amazing ratio that allows us on Earth (and actually nowhere else in the solar system) to see this galactic alignment.

Full totality started at 2:46 p.m., and just a few minutes before, the clouds actually parted, and the crowd on the beach cheered. I got to see the “diamond ring” and then total eclipse! Wow! The kids were more impressed than they thought they would be listening to Dad get excited leading up to the event.

I had seen a picture, and I was still in awe.

It seemed like this gorgeous mix of blueish and yellow-orange around the moon. And in one spot, there was a gorgeous pink area. (I found a pic of ABC news coverage in Charleston that shows this spot.)

Totality was gone too soon but was definitely an incredible moment I won’t soon forget. Plus, the symbolism of the eclipse for me is taken from different sources. Here’s the doodle I drew in my journal that day.

And I’m fully on board to use this reset as a way of diving into my deepest alignment of catalyzing the catalysts to change the way business is played….

Supposedly the energy of the eclipse lasts for 6 months or more—would love to hear what’s been showing up for you…

How Entrepreneurial Parents Can Help Develop Empowering Identities and Positive Values in Your Kids

July 9, 2016 by Yanik Silver

There’s no doubt what we believe about ourselves has a way of becoming our TRUTH even if it’s not based in objective reality.

And most of our self-identities about what we are good at, who we are or what we can do is shaped at an early age.

Fact is, we have a self-identity for every single little part and parcel of our personality, characteristics and abilities. Taking my almost 11-year old son, Zack, as an example, it would be how well he plays baseball, ice hockey, interacts with teachers, responds to authority, respects rules, how artistic he is, how resilient he is, etc. And that’s a small window; there are probably hundreds of other self-identities beyond these.

Think about yourself.

What were you told as a kid that may or may not be true anymore?

Yes, I’m definitely a big believer in playing to our strengths and talents but I also don’t think you can only be a one-sided or one-dimensional character. For my 9-year, Zoe, she is super artistic and creative. However I always like to remind her that’s she’s more athletic than she thinks and I tell Zack he is more artistic than he thinks.

Zoe has now has taken on the identity of being the “adventurous” one in the family like daddy, so I’ve been nourishing that.

This past week before the kids headed off to sleepaway Camp, Missy and I each took out the kids for some 1-on-1 focused, intentional time together.

At the last Maverick Family Freedom event we both heeded the advice of my friend Jim Sheils, co-founder of BoardMeetings. He believes (rightly so) that it’s important to have just one child and one parent for a ‘retreat’. You want to share an experience you both will enjoy. And finally, a real biggie is NO electronics. Yep turn off the phone and technology.

So for “Daddy/Daughter Day”, Zoe and I went indoor skydiving as her adventurous activity.

It’s a bit of haul from the house but it gave us more time in the car together to talk and hang out.

I feel like the best lessons are from actually living them. Of course it’s usually less about what we say and more about what we do.

I committed a long time ago that I want to make my life my lesson as much as possible. More like guideposts along the way. As Ghandi said, “My life is my message.”

I love it when the kids “catch” me doing yoga, meditating, journaling, reading, being kind to others, doing fun things, teaching, writing, etc. (I remember a study awhile back that mentioned kids that see their parents exercise are healthier, so instead of waiting until kids go to school to exercise they do it in front of them or even together.)

A Different Lesson Learned

Now I thought I might teach Zoe about giving and random acts of kindness on the way to skydiving. We paid twice for the person behind us at the toll plaza. Usually the person acknowledges you, beeps or catches up to you. I thought that would happen again and Zoe would get a little jolt of joy from that. But no, not this time. I was a little frustrated but then realized the real lesson was non-attachment. I told her receiving the thank you is not important – it’s just the act itself that makes us happy as we pulled into our destination.

If you’ve never heard of Indoor Skydiving or tried it – think of a giant chamber where they blow air up so you can position your body in such a way to mimic skydiving.

Zoe did her first flight and did fine. The second flight is a high-flying one with the instructor where you go much higher in the chamber. I could tell she was getting a little nervous but I just told her to breathe and enjoy it. She made it through flight #2 and was really proud of herself.

I’m hoping this moment will add to the mosaic of her adventurous self-identity anytime she feels unsure or scared to do something.

The next day was “Daddy/Dude Day” with Zack.

For the guys day out, we picked Top Golf and miniature golf as our outing.

Top Golf is a driving range that’s been upgraded for the 21^st century. It’s very cool and they’re building locations all around the country. Each ball has an RFID chip in it so it tracks distance and where it lands. There are 7-8 holes you are aiming for with different scores for each one. We played a few different games including one where you just aim for one particular hole but you have to hit the ball into each of the 9 different pie-like slices surrounding the pin.

Intent and Targeting

Cue up lesson from Dad:

Zack did real well at this game. I technically won on points since I hit to the pin and got more points but he beat me on lighting up more areas of the hole. It was a great lesson we talked about over burgers on intentionality and targets. Previous games we just aimed for any of the holes but specifically and deliberately aiming for just 1 hole we each got better. Will that lesson stick? Who knows – but I do know for sure you learn better when that lesson is tied to an experience as an example.

After that we hit the miniature golf course and started making up our own rules to make it more fun. Rules like standing on one leg, pool cue shots (ode to Chevy Chase) and backgrounds through the legs were a few of them that made it lots of fun.

When we got home we decided we’d put together a new backyard swing we bought a few days before.

My own self identity has been the story that I’m not good at anything mechanical. I thought back to desks I put together that leaned to one side or other IKEA-like nightmares. Oh well, I figured it would be a good project with Zack. He loves legos so it made sense he did great on helping put together the swing. Zoe thought she wanted to help, but after tightening a few bolts she hijacked the huge cardboard boxes and turned them into a fun rocket ship.

After we were done I told Zack I couldn’t have put it together without him and he just lit up. He was so proud of himself and couldn’t believe we built something that we were using now in the backyard.

I’ve committed to making sure we have quarterly meetings like this that are scheduled and on my calendar, otherwise they won’t happen.

Think about it.

It’s too easy to get busy with work and other commitments when we only have a small, precious amount of time with our kids. Most entrepreneurial parents I know would say they are working hard to help provide for their family. The travel, long hours and sacrifice is for a better tomorrow.

Yes, that’s true in some ways but there might also be a real blind spot I’ll share with you…

Zack vs. Jack

The other week I was supposed to go to San Francisco to have lunch with a CEO of a top technology company (his first name rhymes with Zack). It would have been my third week in a row leaving in some way and I had just returned from Haiti. I’ve been showing the kids what we are doing in Haiti and on other trips so they just don’t think I leave for no reason.

I was debating if I should go to the West Coast or not. Even though I travel a bit, I have attempted to be home for just about every meaningful event for the kids. Whether it’s a chorus concert or chaperoning a field trip. That kind of flexibility is also a big reason I work out of the house. That way I can play street hockey when Zack comes home from school or hang out with Zoe creating art. In fact, I remember Richard Branson telling me he’s always kept his office in his house to be around everyone.

This might be controversial but I don’t believe in sacrificing for someone else.

That simply creates regret.

If I decided to stay home instead of leaving for SF it was with intention. How many times have you said yes to something you wanted to say no to? Or vice versa. You only end going to the event/meeting, etc. but really want to be somewhere else. I knew Zack would be thrilled for me to watch him play 2 baseball games over the weekend and that’s exactly where I wanted to be in that moment. Even if this isn’t a ‘forever’ etched memory – it just adds to ongoing story that his Dad supported him.

Love Notes from 30,000 Feet

You don’t even need to spend one dollar for an experience to create one of these deep imprints.

I love handwritten thank you notes and think they are incredibly meaningful.

Receiving a personalized note makes such a deep connection because it’s so uncommon in today’s digital age. (BTW – if you want some great cards that also support Haitian orphans check out 10CardsofHope.com)

I’ve sent handwritten notes to my wife, family, colleagues and teammates but never the kids. So on a plane ride home I figured maybe they’d like them. I told each one how proud I was to simply be their dad and then what I appreciated about them. I left the notes on their dressers while they were sleeping to see what happened.

Here’s the note I wrote to Zoe:

Both Zack and Zoe treasured their notes.

I know because Zoe has hers tucked away on her bathroom mirror behind a picture and note she drew for herself:

When you open that note it has reminders of some of the happiest memories she’s had to help her feel better if she has an ‘emergency’ sad feeling.

Personally, I still have a note my mom wrote to me that I’ve kept for 12+ years now after Missy and I took her to Vegas while she was going through chemo. A note costs you nothing but your time and to acknowledge and appreciate the unique awesomeness in your kids.

Saying Yes to What Matters Most

And here’s a final story from the best-selling book Essentialism by Greg McKeown to consider…

Her father made plans to take her out for a night in San Francisco. Cynthia was just 12 years old. Her father planned the date for months. They have everything planned out including her attending the last hour of a presentation he is giving that afternoon. At the end of the presentation they would meet at the back of the room and leave quickly before anyone talked to him. The evening included catching a trolley to Chinatown, eating their favorite food, Chinese, shopping for souvenirs, seeing the sights and catching a movie. After that they’d grab a taxi, back to the hotel where they’d jump in the pool for a swim. Her dad like to sneak in after the pool was closed she mentioned. After all that they’d order a hot fudge sundae from room service and watch the late, late show.

They had discussed this all several times. The anticipation was part of the pleasure of it all.

“Everything was going on plan, when her father was leaving the convention center, he runs into an old college friend and business associate. They hadn’t seen each other in years. They embraced and his friend said, “I’m so glad you are doing some work with our company now. When Lois and I hear about it we thought it would be perfect. We want to invite you, and of course Cynthia, to get a spectacular seafood dinner down at the Wharf!”

Cynthia’s father replied, “Bob it’s so great to see you. Dinner at the wharf sounds great!”

Cynthia felt dispirited. Her daydreams of trolley ride, ice cream sundaes evaporated instantly! Moreover she hated seafood and could just imagine how bored she be listening to adults talk all night.

But her father continued, “But not tonight. Cynthia and I have a special date planned don’t we?” He winked at Cynthia, grabbing her hand and running out the door to continue on an unforgettable night in San Francisco with his daughter, just as he’d promised.

Who was Cynthia’s father? None other than The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People author, Stephen Covey. He’s famous for having said, “The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.”

Exceptional Experiences and Magical Moments Create Deep Imprints

Again, going back to when you were a kid, what do you remember most from interactions with your family?

I bet it something that is really special or something really traumatic in some way. Each of these highly emotional moments are deeply imprinted on us. If that’s the case, then why not consciously create positive imprints for small and big moments? Let me know what you think.

* * *
Resources:

Family Board Meetings book by Jim Sheils

Family Freedom Event:
I believe in “engineered” lessons. I didn’t see anything out there to teach kids business or parents how to raise better kids. So like a good entrepreneur – I created something to scratch my own itch:
www.maverick1000.com/family

Building a Capital Community of Fans and Family Ties

March 9, 2015 by Yanik Silver

My 9-year old son, Zack and I had a bit of a ‘boys night out’ with just us two dudes last night.

We went to a Caps game against Buffalo and on the drive there he was asking about some of the classic games I’d seen.

I’ve been a fan for the last 25+ years, so I have lots of memories. I was at the Cap Centre for some of the best moments like the Hunter OT winner vs. Philly and also some of the most heart-breaking ones. Yes, I was there for the ’87 4- OT loss to the Isles in Game 7! I was 14 at the time with my father, Joe. His rule was you never leave a game until the very, very end. (I can still remember going into the 4^th overtime and my entrepreneurial spirit kicking in saying we should be selling Cokes or coffees.)

I shared with Zack some of the other big games I’d seen too like the Game 7 win against the Rangers in ’09 with Federov scoring in the third. That was such a great comeback series! My wife, Missy, sacrificed her birthday that year to go to the final game. We actually managed to get amazing seats for that game right behind the bench. Here’s a shot that appeared in the Washington Post the next day with my brother, dad and wife all in the background behind Boudreau:

(Missy is 1-1 on her birthday with another game 7 on April 28^th that we didn’t win.)

I told him my list also included both Winter Classics including the first time one in Pittsburgh where I showed up as “Captain Capitals”.

Zack was really happy that I mentioned this year’s Winter Classic because he was with me and now he was part of our shared Caps history.

Fact is, I love the way a sports team can bring together generations.

In Ted Leonsis’ wonderful book, The Business of Happiness, he mentions that when he bought the Caps franchise from Abe Poulin, he told Ted that owning a team is a true ‘Public Trust’.

Well after tonight I get it even more – but to really understand that you have to go back in history a little bit…

My dad is responsible for getting me into hockey and the love of the Caps. We came to the United States from Russia in 1976, and he brought his affection for hockey from the Soviet Union here to DC. I started attending games when I was 7 or 8. I remember vividly the “Save the Caps” tele-sales drive in ’82 and asking my dad to buy some tickets. He picked up a 10-game plan so we did our small part to save the team.

And it was only fitting I invited my dad along for Zack’s first Caps game a few years ago. It was pretty perfect because he caught a puck from Semin by yelling puck in Russian (shiboo).

With the Capitals 40^th Anniversary year this year, I started thinking about how many different threads and memories the Caps team and community have been in our family.

I remember way back as a kid skating on the mini ice at the Carousel Hotel in Ocean City, MD with Rod Langway and Yvon Yabre. We had some cheapo plastic sticks and I was still rocking the rental skates.

It was years later that I finally played youth hockey for real. Both my Bantam years I was chosen from my team to be part of the shootout they used to do in between periods. I think I was the only one to have ever won 2 years in a row, at least at that point.

I had, and still have, pretty much one breakaway move – forehand, backhand, forehand wide and bring it back to the backhand to roof it. I kept going back to that move over and over as my goalie bailed me out to win in the 2^nd year. Actually my men’s league team now calls “Oscar Meyer” if I get a break on net.

And coming around full circle, Zack, was part of the ‘mites on ice’ program last year.

I love the fact that Caps really go out of their way to be part of the community. Just one example is for the past few years I’ve been involved with DreamsforKids.org. It’s an opportunity for special needs kids to learn about hockey and meet some of their favorite hockey players.

My brother, Adam and I have been there multiple times, and I take Zack out of school to be involved in serving others.

I always ask him if he’d want to go to help the kids if no Caps players showed up (we never know who will be there or if there might be a cancellation). His reply is always ‘Yes’. I’m proud of him for helping here with our buddy Jonathan.

And that kind of hospitality and involvement starts at the top. I was fortunate to have the owner, Ted Leonsis, come out to keynote the Underground® seminar one year. I loved his book and message so much that I wanted to share it with more entrepreneurs. (His ‘Business of Happiness’ really is a wonderful book!)

Now simply speaking could have been enough, but he went out of his way to actually invite us to the owner’s box so I could surprise my dad with meeting Ted.

And then last year my brother Adam’s company, ParkingPanda, that he co-founded is an official parking partner of Monumental sports. Adam deserved a big thank you because he was able to get us into a cool skate at Nats Stadium following the Winter Classic. Zack loved being on the same ice as the Caps and hanging out on their bench.

I’ve seen Zack grow up through the sport of hockey and at tonight’s game I really saw a big moment.

He wanted to go watch warm-ups so we got down to the section 100 seating pretty early on. This time he was determined to get over the glass where the Caps come out of the locker room. (It’s actually really nice that they allow kids and fans down early for warm-ups.) So Zack is about 3 rows up and in a pretty good spot but then the actual ticket holders for those seats show up and the usher graciously escorted the kids out of the row.

Zack came back to me and asked what he should do. I told him he can figure it out. It surprised me that he walked right up to people in the row he wanted and politely said, “Excuse me” to get up front again. This was a big step because Zack really doesn’t feel comfortable all the time speaking up like that. He ended being the very first one at the bottom of overhang so he got high-fives from all the Caps leaving the ice. He was ecstatic!

After warm-ups were over we headed up to the concourse and started walking to our seats. We got a few feet and ran into a kid from Zack’s squirt hockey team. They both said hi and then he whips out an official puck that’s still wet from the ice. He told Zack that Eric Fehr had tossed him a puck. He wasn’t showing off – just excited. Now I thought Zack might get pouty or be upset that he didn’t get a puck but he just looked at his teammate and said, “Cool!” No big deal and no complaining. I was really proud of Zack again here again. He was happy because he managed to do exactly what he had set out to do.

I really do think I saw him grow right before my eyes. It wasn’t just two guys eating chili dogs at Verizon Center and enjoying a solid 6-1 rout by the home team – but a shared memory in the tapestry of our family. I’m so thankful I can continue the tradition my dad started with me so many years ago and hopefully we’ll get to see the Caps raise the cup one year soon with all of us in the stands. But that might even be secondary to having this unique bond.

I remember watching the final episode of the TV show Parenthood with my wife and thinking how appropriate it was for the Braverman clan to have a send off for the patriarch, Zeke, with a game of baseball. It was something they all shared as a family and it goes beyond just the sports side of winning or losing. There’s truly something magical with the joy and connection that comes from these shared moments.

Update: It happened! The Caps finally won the Stanley Cup. What an incredible run and a magical season. My brothers and I went out to Las Vegas to see them hoisting the Cup and I nearly had tears watching. (In the Washington Post, you can just make out my brother, Adam on the right-hand side.)

Experiment: How to see more ‘magic’ with your kids

January 17, 2015 by Yanik Silver

This past summer, we took a road trip with the kids to check out a camp our 9-year old, Zack, was deciding on. I really like windshield time because I make it a point to turn off the radio for some of the journey. I also like this for short rides to school or hockey practice or art lessons. It creates some dialogue because your kids can only stare out the window for so long before they must talk to you.

Now we had 5-hours of drivetime so lots of conversations about all sorts of subject. I brought up the idea of the magic of your imagination and consciously creating your intent. I started by asking the kids what kind of animals they thought we might see on the way up. I got the usual answers like deer or horses. And then Zoe, our 7-year old said, “a dog being walked”. That’s specific. I like it.

We saw deer and horses and then at the next 2 places we stopped, we got the doggies.

Yes, of course, it’s not that crazy to see dogs being walked on rest stops, but it was a start. It got them intrigued and then Missy said she’ll believe it if she sees a penguin!

Now I wasn’t sure we’d see a penguin waddling around in July but I have a cheerful expectancy that something intriguing would happen.

Arriving at camp, the kids are whisked away with other potential campers and sent on a full trial run of all the best parts of camp. And then the parents are sequestered and taken on their own tour to sell them too. We see all the recreational facilities, water sports, full-sized hockey rink and even some wild stuff like zip lines and trapeze set-ups. Wow! I want to go to camp. (As an immigrant child, camp was just never a typical thing so I never got to experience a full-blown sleepaway camp. So I need to do something about that. Look for a big announcement soon on what’s replacing Underground.)

As we entered the art room, I had a feeling I might spot a piece of penguin artwork. I was intent on finding one and I was checking all around the art room, but still no luck. However, my intuition was kinda right. As we kept moving along to check out a cabin, there hung up on a camper’s bunk bed was a picture of a penguin she drew. I snapped this shot while walking through:

Missy looked at the penguin and her jaw dropped.

Of course, you might dismiss this as selective perception, like the way you notice the same make of car after you just bought it. But I’m not that sure here. We only walked into 2 cabins out of dozens on the camp and I doubt artwork lasts a long time since they are continually creating new stuff. Regardless, I’m willing to accept it might have been a coincidence.

On way home the next day we talked again about the magic of our imagination and intention. I brought up the penguin and we started playing the game again.

I said I wanted to see an ‘ice cube’ and then Zoe said a ‘polar bear’. Once again I had no idea how or where it’d show up but I knew it would. About 5 minutes in, I spotted a sign like this:

It said the word ‘ice’ so I thought that was my ice cube and I was (mostly) satisfied.

But we had a lot more road time still to go. The weather was pretty wild and we got everything from perfectly sunny weather to blinding rain and lightning multiple times. Then add in nasty traffic, multiple accidents, re-routed detours and the kids arguing with each other.

What was a 5-hour drive the day before ended up turning into a 7-hour trek home. But beacause of the detour I took, this next moment really blew us away…

I took us off the highway to hit some back roads to get around a big accident and major traffic. Now before we got back on the interstate we came to a corner convenience store. Everyone in the car was ready for a stretch, bathroom break, and maybe a snack so we piled out. And right as I walked towards the entrance I pass an ice machine and do a double-take. I see this on the side of it:

That is a polar bear INSIDE an ice cube!

For me this was a significant synchronicity because it’s a combination of both our thoughts – that’s pretty wild! The interesting thing about synchronicity is there’s just enough potential for it to be explained away. But if it’s a meaningful incident to you – it matters. (The subject of synchronicity that Carl Jung introduced is endlessly fascinating and I was even re-introduced to Jung’s work via a synchronicity.)

The best part is Zoe was definitely impressed and it made a big impression on everyone in the family. So much so that when we created our family values, which we call our ‘13 Silver Keys’, one of them is “Make Magic”. Ths 13 Silver Keys are inspired by Ben Franklin’s 13 weekly virtues and also my friend value-based parenting expert, Richard Eyre. (I’ll probably do another blog post about this topic soon and how we created them together as a family.)

And now every time we get to the ‘Make Magic’ week, I can just say ‘polar bear’ and the kids remember the story and it becomes short-hand for them.
Try this little game with your kids in the car or anyone really, and see how it ‘magically’ shows up in your life.

At the top of this post is a drawing in my journal from one of my favorite Einstein quotes that really sums this up for me:

“There are only two ways to live your life.One is as though nothing is a miracle and the others is as though everything is a miracle.”

And why not?

Wouldn’t you want more awe, wonder and magic in your word? I know I do!