September 2009

Lessons Learned
September 2009

Remember when you were growing up, all the dangers that your parents warned you about, all the things that you should and should not do, the importance of learning from the mistakes of others, rather than venturing off to make a few of your own? Later on, perhaps some life experiences came your way, experiences that blindsided you and that you never would have imagined that you could withstand and yet, here you are. Those are the “big ticket” lessons that you certainly would not have chosen for yourself, but they are also the ones that teach you some things about yourself, about the people in your midst, about the nature of life and living. Don’t get me wrong: those deep existential moments have their role to play, but what about the little nuggets that we pick up along the way, when we are just going about our business, doing our everyday, ordinary thing? One of the lessons that I have learned is to value the seemingly commonplace, to put a little stock in the fun stuff, to let yourself be happily surprised by who and what we can learn from. Yes, you really can learn a thing or two from your dog and synchronicity and serendipity do exist!

While I am not a mother and truthfully would have to say that I do not aspire to be one [life lesson # 2: everything is not for everyone – know yourself], I do like children and enjoy interacting with them. There is something that is so engaging about their openness and enthusiasm, their natural curiosity about the world around them. Children remind us of the joy and the wisdom that exist in and through their spirit of exploration and I for one, hope never to misplace my childlike enthusiasm! Thinking about the amazing truth and realness of kids brought home to me a concept that I read about a while back: the notion of developing an ethical will – the values, beliefs, principles that you hold dear, that inform your existence, that if you thought about it, you might want to leave as a part of your legacy. So as you ponder your own lessons learned, I offer you one more for the road: have a heart that is open to receiving the kindness of others, in its myriad forms and in the varied contexts and circumstances in which you may find yourself.