"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex and more violent. It takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction." Albert Einstein
We all have varying degrees of flexibility. As children, most of us exhibit
lots of flexibility. As soon as a friend calls we are out the door. Growth and
maturity appears to dampen our willingness to bend or stretch in different
ways. If we think about this situation, we realize the sadness of our plight.
We may be free in body but our minds and thinking become more and more enslaved
until we perform our duties ritualistically.
We must call our parents, water the plants, clean the house, get a recipe
for dinner that will impress our friends, find the right clothes for the right
look etc. In all of this commotion have we thought what we are doing and if we
are truly living or simply surviving? Reflect on how much love is given to us
unconditionally by our parents. Ponder the living plants and the awesome beauty
they bestow on us. House cleaning is overrated as much as connecting with people
are underrated. Fabulous meals have more to do with the companionship we have
with those who share the meal with us.
Duty and ego have replaced love and
affection. When we visit others we look back and recall the great conversations
and spirited mood we enjoyed with them. We don’t even think about the manicured
yard or neatly picked up house. Maybe it is time to reflect on our inner human
focus rather than the outer peripheral nonsense. We would most likely save
ourselves time and money.
We all love artistic beauty but not at the expense of the beauty we find in
each other. Less time spent on silly jobs leaves us with more energy to give to
the important things in life. Our priorities perhaps are messed up at the
moment. As children we knew what counted. As adults we get lost. If we keep
cluttering our minds with jobs that are really unimportant, we will miss doing
what counts.
It is more important to spend time talking to your child than it is to mow
your lawn. I watched two dads in two situations dealing with their children
while they were working in the yard. Both children were two years old at the
time. One dad screamed at his toddler for digging in an area where he had
recently planted some gorgeous flowers. The child went screaming and crying alone,
into a corner of the yard. I wondered as I observed, what had he just taught
his child.
Another father in an adjacent lot had finished planting a row of various
colored flowers. He stopped to take a long drink of water when his young son
was standing in front of him with a fistful of flowers. They were a beautiful
bouquet. His young son said as he shoved the flowers into his father’s hands, “I
love you da”. I watched for the dad’s reaction. He was surprised when he
realized they were the newly purchased and just planted flowers. The dad
immediately scooped his son into his arms and hugged him tightly as he said “I
love you too and thanks for the flowers.” Somehow I believe those flowers meant
so much more in the dad’s mind and heart than they could ever mean to any
observer who chanced to walk by them growing in the ground.
Children are a gift from God. Love them and tell them so every day.
Recognize your obligation to them by respecting and nurturing them. If you are
rough in your speech, or actions towards them especially regarding discipline,
rethink and alter your behaviors and habits. Children can teach us to be
spontaneous and how to recapture our love of living. They remind us to be
flexible because when we are flexible our disappointment and anger decreases
while our love and awareness increases.
"Blessed are the hearts that can bend. They shall never be broken." Albert Camus
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