Look at this face. She's not someone I know, but she shares the look and energy of another eight year old girl, one I dearly love. For the New Year and old the days to come I want her to live her present moments in a loving, clean, safe, supportive, beautiful and inviting world.New Years Day, 2013, and I'm sorting. Are you? Sorting possessions is like going through an old diary. Memories come with an old red sweater I wore laughing in the snow with a dear friend or old black lace-up shoes that carried me through a rainy Paris. I keep the memories as I send these things to the charity shop.
As I clear I discover what I keep. These items do not take me to the past. They take me to my wished for future. I'm still discovering what my wishes are. Do you know yours?
My heart has always known mine, but my wishes have only just become abundantly clear to me. I want the children I love to live in the world they believe they live in now. I mean the world the people who love them and the community that cares about them have created for them.
Their lives are full of wonder, delight and love. They have food, clothes, art supplies, classes galore (gymnastics, dance, theater, art, science). They have friends and play dates which also create a vast number of birthday parties throughout the year. They love school and the library and listen to Harry Potter tapes before they go to sleep. Each morning is the beginning of a new adventure. They have a mommy who tends to their physical and emotional needs and plays with them. They have a daddy who plays sports with them, cooks them breakfast and dances with them. They have loving adults who sort out small frictions with them with no shame involved. They love to do art projects and bring them with pride and love to friends and family who accept these gifts with sincere delight. They get kisses and cuddles and wiggle happily in cherishing arms.
My favorite sound in the world is the sound of their laughter.
So I’ve been thinking about why I do what I do. I could retire from my private practice, but I don’t. I love the work. I didn’t need to write a book, but I did. I love to write and share. Instead of an extensive trip to exotic places I spent a good chunk of money preparing for my next book.
It is part of a long term project that will encompass more than a book. It’s about bringing the fundamentals of biology and the natural world to human awareness, touching emotions and lighting up the possibilities of new ideas, goals and perceptions. I see it as a ten year project, and I’m enjoying even these early days.
Why am I doing this? I love the idea. I'm energized by such a big dream. I enjoy the research and writing. I love to learn. I love to share.
But I believe I see the bigger answer now. I want the children I love to live in better present moments than we do. For that to happen, all the children need to live in better present moments. For that to happen, everyone needs to be as healthy as possible to take on the challenges we face in our immediate surroundings. That’s the way world change happens, one tiny step toward health after another.
And by health I mean more than the body or eating disorder recovery. I mean health in terms of heart and soul. I mean living in a state of delight, joy and love.
By supporting my goal I am participating in creating the world I want for the children. I want it for all of us. Working together in our different ways and in our different environments, supporting each other as we take courageous steps forward, we can make great strides.
The child in the photo is eight years old. Subtract eight from your age now. Look at that number. What can you do to add value or even revolutionize those coming years to give her and us quality present moments?
I invite you to dream big and get on with making your dream come true.
photo by: Joaquim Alves Gaspar, Lisboa, Portugal
Why am I doing this? I love the idea. I'm energized by such a big dream. I enjoy the research and writing. I love to learn. I love to share.
But I believe I see the bigger answer now. I want the children I love to live in better present moments than we do. For that to happen, all the children need to live in better present moments. For that to happen, everyone needs to be as healthy as possible to take on the challenges we face in our immediate surroundings. That’s the way world change happens, one tiny step toward health after another.
And by health I mean more than the body or eating disorder recovery. I mean health in terms of heart and soul. I mean living in a state of delight, joy and love.
By supporting my goal I am participating in creating the world I want for the children. I want it for all of us. Working together in our different ways and in our different environments, supporting each other as we take courageous steps forward, we can make great strides.
The child in the photo is eight years old. Subtract eight from your age now. Look at that number. What can you do to add value or even revolutionize those coming years to give her and us quality present moments?
I invite you to dream big and get on with making your dream come true.
- What are your big dreams?
- What kind of a future do you want for your children?
- What do you want your children to experience in their present moments throughout their lives?
- How will you begin to make your dreams come true?
photo by: Joaquim Alves Gaspar, Lisboa, Portugal
