Poet
Mary Oliver suggests:
“Teach the children. We don’t matter so much, but the
children do….
Stand
them in the stream, head them upstream, rejoice as they learn to love this
green space they live in…. “Attention
is the beginning of devotion.”*
Arriving back in Kansas I savored
memories on the beach with my family. I like to practice being
mindful of the moments each day and began to think about how to be sure to
teach the grandkids about being in the moment. I consider mindfulness a
sure-fire and portable way to relieve stress and put more joy in our daily
lives. Then, silly me, again, I realized that children are probably the most
mindful beings I know. Their natural curiosity and spontaneity put them in the
present as though each moment is important.
”Oh
Lord, how shining and festive is your gift to us, if we
only
look, and see.”**
I had watched as little noses were down close
in the sand checking out the turrets in the sand castles and the residents of
the tidal pools, checking the surf for sea shells.
And Mrs. Loggerhead Turtle
had a lesson for me. There was nothing on her mind but the sand and surf on a
full moon night, needing to lay her eggs. Really nothing short of danger would
deter her mindfulness. While kids were exploring, there I had been off thinking
of prehistoric turtles making the same trip for thousands of years and currents
from East Africa to SC. How far out from the moment was I? Fortunately, nature
and children can teach us many things. Surely these memories have longevity to
encourage devotion to caring for nature.
Attention is also related
to mindfulness. Paying close attention to our relationships, especially as
children share curiosity and joy, encourages life-long connection. The kids
were tuned in to the starfish with only four arms but clearly growing back a
fifth, and the best part was sharing it with their cousins and aunts and
uncles, grandparents. They could hardly run fast enough to show each treasure
they found--the helmet crab, ghost crab, the intact sand dollar. This idea
of including your loved ones in what delights you is the best kind of attention
to the world. Adults have joyful moments to share, too. Mary Oliver invites us all
let our lights shine--
“It’s simple,” they say,
and you too have come
into the world to do this, to go easy, to be
filled
with light, and to shine.”***
*Mary Oliver, Upstream
(2006) p 8.
**Mary Oliver, “Look and
See,” Why I Wake Early (2004) p 26.
***Mary Oliver, “When I Am
Among the Trees,” Thirst (2006) p 4.
--Elder Turtle GG
Contact us if you would like to receive email updates or submit your original work.
2 comments:
I had never thought about mindfulness with grandchildren-- how perfect! I didn't realize that is exactly what my mother did with my children when they walked near creeks or dug for interesting "artifacts" in her garden. I have many plans for my own grandchildren as we explore my pristine back yard. Thanks for sharing.
Love this: "Paying close attention to our relationships, especially as children share curiosity and joy, encourages life-long connection. "
Post a Comment