wisdom keeper
“Mommy, where did you learn to hold your clementine sections up to the light to see if there were seeds in them?” Noah asked yesterday evening as we sucked the juice out of each drippy morsel.
“I don’t know… I suppose it was instinct,” I replied.
“What?” Noah look perplexed.
“You know when your gut tells you what to do and when to do it? Like you just know without even knowing how you know?” (a slow nod of the head and somewhat mischievous smile) “That’s instinct.”
It’s the wisdom we’re born with, reaching far beyond things like holding a clementine up to the light or stepping aside when a car is coming. It’s what inspires a just hatched sea turtle to venture out into the dead of night in search of the ocean, a baby kangaroo to climb into its mother’s pouch just after being born, or a whole gaggle of Canada geese to fly South in the wintertime.
And when it comes to our creative nature, it’s what inspires us to quiet our minds and let our hands take over when we’re drawing a picture… what pulls us toward certain herbs and spices when we’re making soup… what nudges us to dig a little deeper when we’re planting seeds… what gives us permission to dream outloud when most of the time we’re told to hush up and get back to work.
It’s always there, that wisdom. Atleast that’s what I believe. There’s no explaining it or analyzing it… it just is. Instilled in us from PURE MYSTERY.
The learning comes from trusting it… from letting go of the voices that tell you to follow the rules, to stop painting because you suck at it, to equate impulse with irresponsible behavior, to lean on what you’re good at rather than what you love to do.
Of course teachers in every sense are important…. but what if we gave our instincts as much power as we give our college professors? Our parents? Our politicians? Our diplomas? Our resumes? Our list of to-dos?
I hardly doubt the world would fall apart.
I think there would surely be more color. More beautiful graffiti that wouldn’t need to be scrubbed clean or covered up with black spraypaint. More experiments being hung on refrigerators instead of being tossed into trashcans. More saying YES to things that stretch our minds and hearts. More understanding and celebration of our differences. More lending a hand when a hand is needed. More self-honor. More wildness.
So go ahead. Hold yourself up to the light. What wisdom do you see?
“All our progress is an unfolding, like a vegetable bud. You have first an instinct, then an opinion, then a knowledge as the plant has root, bud, and fruit. Trust the instinct to the end… though you can render no reason.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
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2 Comments »
How Awesome and truly empowering thank you Lisa for being. Sheliegha
Thank YOU for being, Sheliegha! So blessed to have you in my life!