Here is what I am learning – although at times still very clumsily – from my toddler:
- To dress in the way that best expresses the mood of the day, even if that means pink for a month or only choosing clothes that flow while dancing.
- To let the hair down because “it’s nice to feel the wind in them”.
To be intolerant of anything that does not feel good because it is GOOD to feel good, satisfied and in the state of flow.
- To be able to rest with ease anywhere.
- To choose food intuitively and refuse what does not taste or feel nice.
- To heal and recover quickly by completely releasing resistance to feeling unwell, collapsing on the sofa to watch funny cartoons and fasting.
- To self-soothe and be one’s own therapist. Have you ever watched kids play and replay the same scenario of something that happened recently that they found upsetting, or where they felt overpowered? They will keep switching between the roles and acting out both sides to find their own inner reconciliation and resolution.
- To test all the limits and daily push beyond them.
- To be intolerant of anything that does not feel good because it is GOOD to feel good, satisfied and in the state of flow. As adults, we have been trained to tolerate incredible discomfort in various situations rather than do something about them or change how we perceive them.
- To live slowly and pause for an ant on the road as if it is the most important thing in that moment. Because it is.
Oh yeah. And I’ve also learned that, apparently, there is absolutely no law anywhere that forbids anyone on the streets to suddenly – from the top of one’s lungs – burst into the “A BEE CHEE DEE EE EP GEE…” song! I think I really need to take advantage of that one more often.
Asta Rudzinskaite is a mom and blogger from Lithuania, now living in Spain with her husband and daughter. Before the birth of her daughter, she studied and worked in the field of international development, but has since been promoted to being a full-time mom. She shares her reflections on gentle parenting and life with a touch of magic in her blog Wildish Wonder, Facebook page and Instagram.
