Present Sense

Pearl of the Day: Rewind your clock to now.

*In the animated film Kung Fu Panda, there is a pivotal scene where the main character Po is agonizing whether he can amount to all that is expected to him, when the wise Master Oogway offers this pearl of wisdom. “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift, that is why it is called the present.”

*With so many of us rushing around worrying about the future it is oftentimes hard to keep our focus on the present. That is until we look at our children. Children are all about the present and they are fully engaged in it.

*When you are with your children are you counting the minutes in between naps or activities or are you fully reveling in the time you have together? Admittedly, there are some days where the quicker they pass the better. There are other days where I wrestle against wanting to have constant new activities scheduled out when they are into just lounging around. One mom I know aimed to have a solid hour of interactive time with her child but found that hour so long and tedious.

*A mix of engagement and letting them be is a good recipe. When I see my kids play in the backyard they run just for the sake of running and hide for the sake of surprise all in the name of fun. There’s no way I would have thought a great afternoon activity is just to run. I’ll introduce them to new things, games and places and when I can’t think of something new I revert to bubbles.

*Changing the scene and introducing new things gives way for children to discover their own adventures. We play music, dance, sing, color, draw, and have snack time, sports time and play time. What I set forth in front of them they adapt and make it their own. Sidewalk chalk turns into a Jedi light saber. A bubble wand becomes a music conductor’s stick. Kids will fill up their minutes regardless of what you do or don’t do and they are ready, willing and able to be active participants in life.

*As grown ups this sense alludes us in the name of responsibility and time and time again we forget what we are striving for when we are keeping busy at work. How can our work give us the same sense of fulfillment and wonder as our kids have in the playground discovering new corners.

*No one knows the recipe for our future success. Much like with parenting there is no crystal ball. The best we can do is to watch and observe our children and provide them with their needs and prepare for their next developmental steps. For once you are comfortable in one stage, they do what kids do and change which takes about half the next stage to finally get used to before it changes again, all while we are addressing our own life changes.

*What’s important is to remember that each moment can be so rewarding if you permit yourself to turn off your adult clock and rewind to a child’s clock and live in the moment.

Copyright © 2009 Cynthia Litman d/b/a Tigris Imprints. All Rights Reserved.