I can learn so much from this little light who has chosen to grace my world. In these first ten months of his walking (now literally) this earth, most of the lessons have been about staying present. This fresh example is an especially vivid one for me today, because it is reminding me of how much baggage we bring into each situation we find ourselves in, and how rarely we are interacting with just that moment. There is so much freedom, so much JOY, in coming into the moment fresh and experiencing it for what it is.

This is especially important when we deal with other people, but oh so challenging. Can you imagine what it would be like if you interacted with your partner, your parent, your boss, your sibling as if experiencing them for the first time in each encounter? You could see them for who they are in that moment instead of whichever version of them you carry inside of you. It is so hard for us to let others be new, to change our image of them, but every day, every experience, changes us a little. Some experiences have larger and longer lasting effects than others. I know I’m still surprised by the changes I find in myself since becoming a mother, and probably more surprised by some of the things that haven’t changed, but some of the things that are different about me today have subtler causes. I’m like a fine wine, mellowing with age.

I’m not completely sure what the takeaway here is for me today. Like most things, it isn’t that this concept is new, but it feels more real, more accessible somehow. Perhaps the way that my son is my guide is by showing me things that I’m ready to (finally) learn. More likely, it’s that my learning is cyclical, and I’m open to the next bit of opening up along my “staying present” axis. Whatever it is, I am ready to embrace another aspect of change in my life. As Heraclitus said, “Change is the only constant.” And as I like to say, enjoy the ride. Namaste.