If We Practiced

Robert Fulghum wrote, "All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten" and he was right.

The core lessons of life were learned there.

These were my classmates in that early school of life. Those I have kept in touch with have done well. They have made the world a better place.

What if we practiced?

"Share everything."

"Play fair."

"Don’t hit people."

"Put things back where you found them."

"Clean up your own mess."

"Don’t take things that aren’t yours."

"Say you’re sorry when you hurt somebody."

"Wash your hands before you eat."

"Flush."

"Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you."

"Live a balanced life—learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some."

"Take a nap every afternoon."

"When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands, and stick together."

"Wonder. Remember the little seed in the Styrofoam cup: The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that."

"Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the Styrofoam cup—they all die. So do we."

"And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first word you learned—the biggest word of all—LOOK."

"Everything you need to know is in there somewhere. The Golden Rule and love and basic sanitation. Ecology and politics and equality and sane living."

"Take any one of those items and extrapolate it into sophisticated adult terms and apply it to your family life or your work or your government or your world and it holds true and clear and firm. "Think what a better world it would be if we all—the whole world—had cookies and milk about three o’clock every afternoon and then lay down with our blankies for a nap. Or if all governments had as a basic policy to always put things back where they found them and to clean up their own mess."

"And it is still true, no matter how old you are—when you go out into the world, it is best to hold hands and stick together."

Robert Fulghum wrote, "All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten" and he was right.

The core lessons of life were learned there.

These were my classmates in that early school of life. Those I have kept in touch with have done well. They have made the world a better place.

What if we practiced?

"Share everything."

"Play fair."

Don’t hit people.

Put things back where you found them.

Clean up your own mess.

Don’t take things that aren’t yours.

Say you’re sorry when you hurt somebody.

Wash your hands before you eat.

Flush.

Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.

Live a balanced life—learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.

Take a nap every afternoon.

When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands, and stick together.

Wonder. Remember the little seed in the Styrofoam cup: The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that.

Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the Styrofoam cup—they all die. So do we.

And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first word you learned—the biggest word of all—LOOK.

Everything you need to know is in there somewhere. The Golden Rule and love and basic sanitation. Ecology and politics and equality and sane living.

Take any one of those items and extrapolate it into sophisticated adult terms and apply it to your family life or your work or your government or your world and it holds true and clear and firm. "Think what a better world it would be if we all—the whole world—had cookies and milk about three o’clock every afternoon and then lay down with our blankies for a nap. Or if all governments had as a basic policy to always put things back where they found them and to clean up their own mess."

"And it is still true, no matter how old you are—when you go out into the world, it is best to hold hands and stick together."

Robert Fulghum wrote, "All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten" and he was right.

The core lessons of life were learned there.

These were my classmates in that early school of life. Those I have kept in touch with have done well. They have made the world a better place.

What if we practiced?

"Share everything."

"Play fair."

Don’t hit people.

Put things back where you found them.

Clean up your own mess.

Don’t take things that aren’t yours.

Say you’re sorry when you hurt somebody.

Wash your hands before you eat.

Flush.

Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.

Live a balanced life—learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.

Take a nap every afternoon.

When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands, and stick together.

Wonder. Remember the little seed in the Styrofoam cup: The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that.

Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the Styrofoam cup—they all die. So do we.

And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first word you learned—the biggest word of all—LOOK.

Everything you need to know is in there somewhere. The Golden Rule and love and basic sanitation. Ecology and politics and equality and sane living.

Take any one of those items and extrapolate it into sophisticated adult terms and apply it to your family life or your work or your government or your world and it holds true and clear and firm. "Think what a better world it would be if we all—the whole world—had cookies and milk about three o’clock every afternoon and then lay down with our blankies for a nap. Or if all governments had as a basic policy to always put things back where they found them and to clean up their own mess."

"And it is still true, no matter how old you are—when you go out into the world, it is best to hold hands and stick together."

What if we practiced?

Isn't that how we learned these things in the first place?

Someone told us, modeled the behaviors and attitudes, and then, gave us feedback.

Practice may not make perfect, but it tends to make things permanent. The earlier we start, the better and easier it is, but, it is never too late to learn new skills and ways of thinking.

We are all in kindergarten in one way or another.