Sunday, February 12, 2012

What’s In The Box

Yesterday we had a small get-together to celebrate my Mom’s birthday. Nothing lavish, just cookies and Hawaiian Punch, but it was great to see how happy Mom was having her family with her. It was also interesting to see the different ways her gifts were packaged. There were envelopes, boxes and bags concealing what was inside. 

While these various containers were all very nice, it was what was inside that mattered. Isn’t that is what we really care about when we receive something?

We care about what’s in the box.

If what’s inside is what we are really concerned with, why do we go out of our way to gift-wrap something all fancy-schmancy? When I give my nephews, John and Ryan a present, they couldn’t care less what the package looks like. They want what’s inside the box; they want the important stuff.

Maybe it’s the adults that worry too much how things look on the outside. Sometimes we seem to be more concerned about the pretty, sparkly exterior than we are with what is inside. The important stuff.

Kids get it. They look right past all of the superficial wrapping, tearing it away to get at what is most valuable. They want what’s in the box.

When you think about it, why should we adults be any different about packages than we are with other people. Just like with gifts, we seem to concern ourselves more with how someone looks rather than what kind of person they are.

With a large number of people, the most important thing is how attractive someone is, not what they have to offer as a human being. That is extremely sad.

Guys, how many times have you been attracted to a woman only because she was a knockout and had all of the “latest upgrades”? And ladies, how often have you swooned over a man based solely based on his pearly whites and his six-pack abs?

We are all guilty of this to some extent. Personally I have seen female TV personalities and thought, “Hubba hubba!” Then she opened her mouth and I stopped drooling. I quickly realized that the next time she had an original thought it would also be the first time.

I’m afraid that by not caring about “what’s in the box”, we miss out on some truly wonderful and beautiful people that have so much to offer. That is tragic.

Too bad we’re not more like kids. They get it. Just like with packages, they aren’t concerned with the outer package, they want what’s inside. They want what’s in the box.

Kids don’t care if you are white or black, fat or thin, pretty or homely. What they care about is whether or not you love them, that you make them feel safe or that you can make them laugh when they are sad or hurting.

A young kid will see through a phony in the blink of an eye. They aren’t worried about how pretty the “package” is. They have an uncanny ability to care about what really counts in a person. Kids get it.

We adults would do well to learn from kids. We need to stop putting such an emphasis on how outwardly attractive someone is and start to look for what they have on the inside. We need to find out what’s in the box.

I’m gonna go listen to The Who. Maybe, “The Kids Are Alright”. Until next time…from the booth.

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