Every weekend--I always look forward to my special dates---dates with my clients (children and teens) at the center (I founded a wellness center for children and teens) and each meeting rejuvenates my entire being. Every meeting gives me new lessons to learn and virtues to reflect on---honestly--my weekly sessions with my clients makes me appreciate life more. In most instances--I prefer to be with children than with unhealthy (in all aspects) adults. Children are innocent and open to life fully. When they pretend, they know it is only pretending. There is no greater innocence on the face this earth had than children. Likewise, there is nothing more marvelous that one can do than affirm the innocence of children. If there is one thing I learned from children and from adults, it is that adults think they should teach children, but on the contrary, there is more for adults to learn from children than they have to teach them. Not that we should not do our best to prepare the little ones for the life they will have to take part in, but as adults we are trying to let go of much we have been miss-taught in order to become sane again.
My dear little friends always remind me how important it is to be joyous. In the midst of my extremely hectic life, they always make me stop and find the wonder in every little things, how to be trilled by the stories of old friends and how to experience heart felt laughter at the antics of other people's humor. I am deeply grateful for my weekly contacts with my little teachers because they keep me sane. When faced with boredom or stress, they always make me look at different avenues to have fun.
As a trainer, and as someone who has a vested interest in the growth and development sessions for people (regardless of whether I’m a part of it or not), I’m fortunate to carry around this kernel of kindergarten wisdom to summarize my weekly learning from my little teachers. Let us (adults) always be reminded that the most basic aspects of life bear its most important opportunities.In today's chaotic world, may these little reminders (from our children) resonate even deeper — in our inner core as we discover how universal insights can be found in children's wisdom and in ordinary events:
May we all find that teacher within us, to guide us home to the Heart of Laughter and Joy.
ALL I REALLY NEED TO KNOW I LEARNED IN KINDERGARTEN
All I really need to know about how to live and what to do and how to be I learned in kindergarten.
Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate school mountain, but there in the sand pile at school. These are the things I learned:
Share everything.
Play fair.
Don't hit people.
Put things back where you found them.
Clean up your own mess.
Don't take things that aren't yours.
Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody.
Wash your hands before you eat.
Flush.
Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.
Live a balanced life - learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.
Take a nap every afternoon.
When you go out in the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands and stick together.
Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the Styrofoam cup: the roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that.
Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the Styrofoam cup - they all die. So do we.
And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first word you learned - the biggest word of all - LOOK.
