By some strange coincidence today's subject goes perfectly like some kind of continuation of my previous blog where I considered the possibility of relearning some of the basic knowledge you build the rest of your life on.
I am a firm believer that you can (and should) have a comfortable and full life, but I also consider some of the teachings that we have in early childhood can be restricting for us and the rest of our lives.
Today's subject was inspired with the series of events that led me to even think about it. It all started with a phone call from my brother, telling me that his wife is about to deliver their second child. With my heart filled with happiness I tried to be supportive and optimistic, encouraging my (worried) brother that it's all natural and that everything is going to be OK. But for some reason he kept saying things like:
"Life is cruel"
"Life is hard"
My initial reaction was "No, it's not". We shared almost the same life for quite some time, and I know how he lived and continues to live. It's not a perfect life, but we always had a home, family, health, love, food and even enough money, but his motto stays the same: "Life is hard". Let's say that he is nervous about the baby, and not himself. Let's transfer our focus on the subject I wanted to talk about, and that is the newborn itself. What will be the first thing he (it's a boy) will hear:
<"Welcome to life, it's hard?!"
I didn't like that idea, so I came to conclusion that maybe (if we had an opportunity) should say something else. Something like "User manual for life" (under the wild imagination that babies can understand us). I would say something like this:
"Dear child, welcome and let me explain to you the things I know about this place.
You are one of a kind, the odds of you being born as you are pretty small (about one in 400 trillion), so you are already a winner. The body you are in now is the body you are going to have for the rest of your beautiful life, so take good care of it. The life itself is going to be long and full of joys, but time limited, so use every moment of it wisely. If the problems do occur stay calm and learn from them. Be grateful that you have a chance to experience and learn, and be kind to those who are still in the process of adapting. This place we call home is beautiful, full of good people, animals, plants, colors, tastes, sounds and more. Take your time, and get to know as much of it as you can, and preserve it for the next generation. Like everything else, you are perfect just the way you are. As a matter of fact, we are all different and unique, accept people as they are, and you will be accepted too. Be brave, you already did the impossible, so you are able to everything, even when it doesn't look like that. Learn from others, and follow your intuition.
Lastly, try to see my advises as something helpful, not something written in stone. I am here longer, but that doesn't mean that I'm always right, I just do my best and so should you, until we learn more together."
Now, what would you say to newborns if they could understand you? Let's have fun in the comment section, and think of something clever for that next generation!
With love,
Tamara