My son is not only a joy in my life, he is a mini Tao master in the making. A perpetual motion machine with tireless Ch'i, at just 10 years of age, when it comes to "being" as an experience, he has no equal.
Our children are mirrors that reflect those elements within us in need of refining. My son keeps me mindful of several things: Letting my "yes" be "yes" and my "no" be "no", learning to be fearless with my emotions in feeling and expression, and savoring the good times while moving on quickly following disappointments.
"Simple in actions and thoughts, you return to the source of being." ~ Lao Tzu
Observing human behavior, at times can be exhausting, however, watching my son has the opposite effect for me. I find it energizing because, with the exception of homework, to him nothing is laborious. It's just life. He is "chips all in" on everything and operates in union with the nature of his present state of being. My young man is clear on where he wants to put his energy and you never have to guess how he feels about anything.
It would seem Voltaire's statement that, "all is for the best in the best of all possible worlds," is my little boy's philosophy. And whether he knows what he is living by or not, he just has faith that all is and will be okay.
I registered him for swim lessons when he was 6 and when class began, without hesitation, he jumped into the pool and dog paddled from the shallow end to the deep, then paddled his way back and asked the instructor if he should do it again. In amazement, we watched him cover the length of the pool allowing himself to adapt and become part of the natural state of the rhythm of the water. He had fearlessly adopted the way of Wu Wei. This mind you, was his very first lesson and his very first time at the deep end of the pool.
"Do you have the patience to wait until your mud settles and the water is clear?" ~ Lao Tzu
For my baby boy, as sure as the world turns upside down, it will turn right side up again. All he has to do is wait for the dust to settle and everything will be fine. He knows how to melt into the waves of life and come out in whatever way is most appropriate at the time, be it crying or laughing. He is gleeful at every success and never fights back tears if they threaten to overtake him when he is upset. He cries for a few minutes, then hits the reset button and moves out and on again.
And so under the tutelage of my young Taoist master I will work toward appreciating the yin yang of life. Accepting the harmonious ebb and flow of the universe without resistance or attachment I will live the lessons to be learned within each experience. The aim is to no longer wrestle with the current, but relax into it, let it wash over and become it with no fear of the deep end.
