Guest guest Posted April 8, 2009 Report Share Posted April 8, 2009 Today's DailyOM brought to you by: June 26, 2007Little GurusLearning To Follow As grown-ups, we often approach children with ideas about what we can teach them about this life to which they have so recently arrived. It’s true that we have important information to convey, but children are here to teach us just as much as we are here to teach them. They are so new to the world and far less burdened with preconceived notions about the people, situations, and objects they encounter. They do not avoid people on the basis of appearance, nor do they regard shoes as having only one function. They can be fascinated for half an hour with a pot and a lid, and they are utterly unself-conscious in their emotional expressions. They live their lives fully immersed in the present moment, seeing everything with the open-mindedness born of unknowing. This enables them to inhabit a state of spontaneity, curiosity, and pure excitement about the world that we, as adults, have a hard time accessing. Yet almost every spiritual path calls us to rediscover this way of seeing. ! In this sense, children are truly our gurus. When we approach children with the awareness that they are our teachers, we automatically become more present ourselves. We have to be more present when we follow, looking and listening, responding to their lead. We don’t lapse so easily into the role of the director of activities, surrendering instead to having no agenda at all. As we allow our children to determine the flow of play, they pull us deeper into the mystery of the present moment. In this magical place, we become innocent again, not knowing what will happen next and remembering how to let go and flow. Since we must also embody the role of loving guide to our children, they teach us how to transition gracefully from following to leading and back again. In doing so, we learn to dance with our children in the present moment, shifting and adjusting as we direct the flow from pretending to be kittens wearing shoes on our heads to making sure everyone is fed and bathed. What do you think?Discuss this article and share your opinion Want more DailyOM?Register for your free email, or browse all articles Share the OM: Email this to a friend Printable version Save in My DailyOM Discuss this article Today's friend of OM:Be Inspired with Ode. An international magazine unlike any other, Ode reports on inspiring stories about spirituality, natural health, sustainability, & much, much more. Be inspired with Ode & get a free meditation CD. For more information visit Odemagazine.net From the Library:Heal Thy Selfby Saki Santorelli More DailyOM:Browse the Library Today's Horoscopes Shop the Marketplace Join the Community Home | Gift Shop | My DailyOM | Marketplace | Community | Archives | Share The OM | Contact Us Subscribe | Change Email | User Settings | Unsubscribe | Privacy Policy | Disclaimer | Gift Shop FAQ | Advertising Info Make DailyOM Your Homepage | Link To Us | Publish DailyOM On Your Website © 2004-07 DailyOM - All Rights ReservedNo portion of this site can be reprinted without express permissionArtwork by Wang Chang-Ming Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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