My brother taught me to be excited about every new day’s adventure. He lived every day like that until he passed away a little over a year ago. I thank him for that wonderful life lesson.
Special gifts from childhood would include curiosity, joy and appreciation and playfulness. I do my best to allow these gifts to be present in each moment.
My early interest to sense and understand the way of how my parents and other people around me perceive the world, their way of being and their way of communication. It was a needed tool. I wanted to understand why they don´t understand each other, why they suffer and make others suffer, including me. It was an attempt to try to change this. Later I was drawing portraits, sensing, observing and diving down into the person´s or situation`s specifics. I still sense, try to understand and portra...
My early interest to sense and understand the way of how my parents and other people around me perceive the world, their way of being and their way of communication. It was a needed tool. I wanted to understand why they don´t understand each other, why they suffer and make others suffer, including me. It was an attempt to try to change this. Later I was drawing portraits, sensing, observing and diving down into the person´s or situation`s specifics. I still sense, try to understand and portrait, only now it´s my patients. And sometimes, something which cannot be made but appears adds to this, which I feel as God´s grace, and their suffering eases. Then, there is deep gratefulness and sensing awareness in all concerned of the deep mystery and the immeasurable love, which cures.
that my parents alway supported me to get a good education and I was one of those children who really liked to study. My interest in people , especially from other countries, cultures, religions… and a high sensitivity.
Creativity, imagination, fantasy. An ability not to feel bore: My brain will then start to invent a new game! (Sometimes I must order it (the brain) to rest, to just BE in NOW.). A fascination for good stories and tales.A focused mind. Eagerness to learn new things (knowledge, skills)A strong will/thirst to understand other people, their thinking, feeling and actions, and things that are happening around me/in the world. A sense of humore.
This was a tough one. When I think of my childhood, I mostly think of being told not to do things. I was a keen observer of everything that was going on, and I tended to wonder at an early age about the why of things. How did I get here? Am I really here? Are these really my parents? I used to scare myself with that sort of stuff. But now I can see how caring about the meaning of things could be a gift.
Caring about the meaning of things is, absolutely, a gift! I’m amazed at how many intelligent, educated, otherwise mindful and caring adults seem to know, or even care, so little about the origins of the essentials that sustain them – they are taken for granted. Look into the Whys and Hows long and deep enough and you discover the intimate connections between ourselves and everything else.
Imagination. Curiosity. A natural sense of rhythm, balance, beauty, caring, love. A reawakening ability to deeply root and connect with true self and the people, community and world around. Self and shared expression through music, drawing, writing, movement, connecting with nature, deep listening and meaningful dialogue. A core belief in a better world, and my own small role in ‘teaching the world to sing, in perfect harmony…’ ???????????? …
Perseverance and resilience I think apply today. I’m battling a common flu/cold. I think of the hard work it was for me to attend school as a child. I had to cross fields and be scared of a horse on the way. In secondary school I crossed fields, got on a bike and then got a bus in all weathers.
Me too, Deb. I can thank my 5th grade teacher for my love of reading. She patiently taught me when I struggled with reading and in such a tender loving way.
I have a highly tuned ability to observe and honor all natural creations….from the “ugliest” insect to the most “sublime” sunrise. All are sacred. This particular sight gives me the ability to see the interconnected ness of life and my place in it.
A deep love of the natural world which I experience in this moment as I look out my upstairs bedroom window into the green embrace of a massive Norway spruce dancing in the wind.
How magical it is to see a tree dancing in the wind. That is what I love about the wind, you cannot see it like rain or snow only its effect on things such as a tree dancing in the wind ????
Not to be confused with art, I was an avid drawer as a kid. Unfortunately, none of my childhood gifts survived the conformity traps of public school “education” and nothing’s left other than a keen distrust of authority, especially those that claim divinity as its source or are self-referential.
Is there a drawing tool that you enjoy using and that feels comfortable to touch? I am curious whether moving your arm and hand to make marks on a page that you enjoy may be helpful to touch into your childhood sense of play?
Actually, KC, now that you mention it. I really enjoy coloring, like, with your average, garden variety crayons and coloring books - layering colors (crayons are a surprisingly good medium for this!) adding gradients, highlights and shading to otherwise, simple line drawings. It's been a while and there are all sorts of adult-oriented coloring books filled with geometric and fractal patterns. Time and a designated space for art, tinkering and creativity in this horrific move would be quite the c...
Actually, KC, now that you mention it. I really enjoy coloring, like, with your average, garden variety crayons and coloring books – layering colors (crayons are a surprisingly good medium for this!) adding gradients, highlights and shading to otherwise, simple line drawings. It’s been a while and there are all sorts of adult-oriented coloring books filled with geometric and fractal patterns. Time and a designated space for art, tinkering and creativity in this horrific move would be quite the consolation prize!
Hi Javier, Ah! How wonderful. Sounds like you have all you need! … and yes, I so hear you. Time and a designated space for art. That is my lifetime dream as well. Until then, wishing you the spaciousness you need to create away with those exquisite crayons and adult colouring ????. Hurrah! Warmly, KC ????
Javier, my heart hurts for the child in you who stopped drawing. As Deb said, I hope you are finding ways to cultivate your creativity today. It is something I have let fall away and must return to. Thank you for your reflection.
I hope you are able to control the diabetes, Javier. I know it can be a detriment to health if uncontrolled. Blessings of wisdom, perseverance and guidance as you navigate life with diabetes.
Thank you, Deb. Navigating health issues all very new to me (diagnosed in November) No family history, no weight to lose, BMI of 19, and I already eat like a hamster. Doubling down on my efforts to eat raw, plant-based, whole foods within a 7 – 9 hour daily window and incorporating weight-bearing exercise routine in an effort to kick the prescription glipizide.
For me too like Kevin, it was growing up around the ocean. It seems every memory I have of my childhood and young adulthood revolve around some wonderful memory of the ocean. I would also say another special gift was all the wonderful insights my grandmother shared with me that have stayed with me to this day.
My special gift from childhood is a love of water. I am a fish and swimming is a joy! I have been making it a part of my weekly routine. Two times a week I swim after work and it makes me feel free!
A joy of nature, specifically anything having to do with the ocean and shorelines, which I continue to focus on with my camera to this day. Back when I was a kid I owned a Kodak Instagram camera, with the little 4-part flash cubes. When the roll of film was fully exposed, I’d crank it back, then drop it off at the drug store for processing and return in two weeks to pick it up. I think about this today with my digital camera equipment as I slide my flash card into my computer with hundreds of...
A joy of nature, specifically anything having to do with the ocean and shorelines, which I continue to focus on with my camera to this day. Back when I was a kid I owned a Kodak Instagram camera, with the little 4-part flash cubes. When the roll of film was fully exposed, I’d crank it back, then drop it off at the drug store for processing and return in two weeks to pick it up. I think about this today with my digital camera equipment as I slide my flash card into my computer with hundreds of images on it and “develop” the works on the spot!
I’m a middle child so I think I’m used to listening and feeling the energies of people around me.
My brother taught me to be excited about every new day’s adventure. He lived every day like that until he passed away a little over a year ago. I thank him for that wonderful life lesson.
never giving up. being kind to others. seeing the best in a situation.
Special gifts from childhood would include curiosity, joy and appreciation and playfulness. I do my best to allow these gifts to be present in each moment.
My early interest to sense and understand the way of how my parents and other people around me perceive the world, their way of being and their way of communication. It was a needed tool. I wanted to understand why they don´t understand each other, why they suffer and make others suffer, including me. It was an attempt to try to change this. Later I was drawing portraits, sensing, observing and diving down into the person´s or situation`s specifics. I still sense, try to understand and portra...
My early interest to sense and understand the way of how my parents and other people around me perceive the world, their way of being and their way of communication. It was a needed tool. I wanted to understand why they don´t understand each other, why they suffer and make others suffer, including me. It was an attempt to try to change this. Later I was drawing portraits, sensing, observing and diving down into the person´s or situation`s specifics. I still sense, try to understand and portrait, only now it´s my patients. And sometimes, something which cannot be made but appears adds to this, which I feel as God´s grace, and their suffering eases. Then, there is deep gratefulness and sensing awareness in all concerned of the deep mystery and the immeasurable love, which cures.
that my parents alway supported me to get a good education and I was one of those children who really liked to study. My interest in people , especially from other countries, cultures, religions… and a high sensitivity.
Creativity, imagination, fantasy. An ability not to feel bore: My brain will then start to invent a new game! (Sometimes I must order it (the brain) to rest, to just BE in NOW.). A fascination for good stories and tales.A focused mind. Eagerness to learn new things (knowledge, skills)A strong will/thirst to understand other people, their thinking, feeling and actions, and things that are happening around me/in the world. A sense of humore.
A rather innate sense of spirituality rooted in nature, particularly the woods and water, and in music. Writing, and a love of books/reading.
My love of wild places and nature.
This was a tough one. When I think of my childhood, I mostly think of being told not to do things. I was a keen observer of everything that was going on, and I tended to wonder at an early age about the why of things. How did I get here? Am I really here? Are these really my parents? I used to scare myself with that sort of stuff. But now I can see how caring about the meaning of things could be a gift.
Caring about the meaning of things is, absolutely, a gift! I’m amazed at how many intelligent, educated, otherwise mindful and caring adults seem to know, or even care, so little about the origins of the essentials that sustain them – they are taken for granted. Look into the Whys and Hows long and deep enough and you discover the intimate connections between ourselves and everything else.
Imagination. Curiosity. A natural sense of rhythm, balance, beauty, caring, love. A reawakening ability to deeply root and connect with true self and the people, community and world around. Self and shared expression through music, drawing, writing, movement, connecting with nature, deep listening and meaningful dialogue. A core belief in a better world, and my own small role in ‘teaching the world to sing, in perfect harmony…’ ???????????? …
Perseverance and resilience I think apply today. I’m battling a common flu/cold. I think of the hard work it was for me to attend school as a child. I had to cross fields and be scared of a horse on the way. In secondary school I crossed fields, got on a bike and then got a bus in all weathers.
My love of reading.
Me too, Deb. I can thank my 5th grade teacher for my love of reading. She patiently taught me when I struggled with reading and in such a tender loving way.
That is a wonderful gift your teacher gave you, Nancy. A person can go anywhere, learn anything if they can read!
I have a highly tuned ability to observe and honor all natural creations….from the “ugliest” insect to the most “sublime” sunrise. All are sacred. This particular sight gives me the ability to see the interconnected ness of life and my place in it.
A deep love of the natural world which I experience in this moment as I look out my upstairs bedroom window into the green embrace of a massive Norway spruce dancing in the wind.
How magical it is to see a tree dancing in the wind. That is what I love about the wind, you cannot see it like rain or snow only its effect on things such as a tree dancing in the wind ????
Not to be confused with art, I was an avid drawer as a kid. Unfortunately, none of my childhood gifts survived the conformity traps of public school “education” and nothing’s left other than a keen distrust of authority, especially those that claim divinity as its source or are self-referential.
Hi Javier,
Is there a drawing tool that you enjoy using and that feels comfortable to touch? I am curious whether moving your arm and hand to make marks on a page that you enjoy may be helpful to touch into your childhood sense of play?
Namaste, ???????????? KC
Actually, KC, now that you mention it. I really enjoy coloring, like, with your average, garden variety crayons and coloring books - layering colors (crayons are a surprisingly good medium for this!) adding gradients, highlights and shading to otherwise, simple line drawings. It's been a while and there are all sorts of adult-oriented coloring books filled with geometric and fractal patterns. Time and a designated space for art, tinkering and creativity in this horrific move would be quite the c...
Actually, KC, now that you mention it. I really enjoy coloring, like, with your average, garden variety crayons and coloring books – layering colors (crayons are a surprisingly good medium for this!) adding gradients, highlights and shading to otherwise, simple line drawings. It’s been a while and there are all sorts of adult-oriented coloring books filled with geometric and fractal patterns. Time and a designated space for art, tinkering and creativity in this horrific move would be quite the consolation prize!
Hi Javier, Ah! How wonderful. Sounds like you have all you need! … and yes, I so hear you. Time and a designated space for art. That is my lifetime dream as well. Until then, wishing you the spaciousness you need to create away with those exquisite crayons and adult colouring ????. Hurrah! Warmly, KC ????
Javier, my heart hurts for the child in you who stopped drawing. As Deb said, I hope you are finding ways to cultivate your creativity today. It is something I have let fall away and must return to. Thank you for your reflection.
Wow, Javier, that is sad! I hope you are drawing NOW, which is all we have anyway.
No, I rarely pick up a sketchbook or pencil anymore. Diabetes is destroying my eyesight
Best of success in your endeavors. Blessings of perseverance, wisdom and health be yours.
I hope you are able to control the diabetes, Javier. I know it can be a detriment to health if uncontrolled. Blessings of wisdom, perseverance and guidance as you navigate life with diabetes.
Thank you, Deb. Navigating health issues all very new to me (diagnosed in November) No family history, no weight to lose, BMI of 19, and I already eat like a hamster. Doubling down on my efforts to eat raw, plant-based, whole foods within a 7 – 9 hour daily window and incorporating weight-bearing exercise routine in an effort to kick the prescription glipizide.
For me too like Kevin, it was growing up around the ocean. It seems every memory I have of my childhood and young adulthood revolve around some wonderful memory of the ocean. I would also say another special gift was all the wonderful insights my grandmother shared with me that have stayed with me to this day.
My special gift from childhood is a love of water. I am a fish and swimming is a joy! I have been making it a part of my weekly routine. Two times a week I swim after work and it makes me feel free!
I also love swimming and know I was a mermaid in a previous life ????
A joy of nature, specifically anything having to do with the ocean and shorelines, which I continue to focus on with my camera to this day. Back when I was a kid I owned a Kodak Instagram camera, with the little 4-part flash cubes. When the roll of film was fully exposed, I’d crank it back, then drop it off at the drug store for processing and return in two weeks to pick it up. I think about this today with my digital camera equipment as I slide my flash card into my computer with hundreds of...
A joy of nature, specifically anything having to do with the ocean and shorelines, which I continue to focus on with my camera to this day. Back when I was a kid I owned a Kodak Instagram camera, with the little 4-part flash cubes. When the roll of film was fully exposed, I’d crank it back, then drop it off at the drug store for processing and return in two weeks to pick it up. I think about this today with my digital camera equipment as I slide my flash card into my computer with hundreds of images on it and “develop” the works on the spot!
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