I took my first walk with Elliot this morning around the lake by our house (hooray clean air! yellow dust be gone!) While he was asleep for 99.5% of it, I found myself (astonishingly) being present and aware, noticing so many new aspects to this lake (which I've walked around dozens of times before). Things like a red tree amidst all the green, or the patterns that the trees' shadows make on the footpath.
There's a talk I heard once on mindfulness meditation, around really seeing things for what they are -- not merely what we've named them. For instance, if you glance at a tree and think "tree", it's easy to walk right past it. But by removing the label "tree" from your mind, it becomes easier to see the individuality and uniqueness of this object -- its colors, patterns, branches.
Of course, babies do this inherently -- seeing the wonder of just about anything. When we first took Elliot home after our stay at the mama/baby spa, I remember seeing him transfixed, staring at our wallpaper, hardly blinking, he was so mesmerized. After their first walk together towards the lake (alas, it was too cold to actually go all the way), Elliot's grandmother said that Elliot's eyes were wide as saucers, just taking everything all in.
The beauty is that babies have this magical way of helping us see through their eyes (and slowing down, which is a crucial part of the presence process, and the part that's insanely hard for me). Without the mental models we've developed to simplify our life ("tree" - let's move on), even an "ordinary" branch generates awe and wonder. See exhibits 1 and 2 below from our walk through the Imperial Palace Park in Kyoto last week:
Turns out there's an app that lets you see what your baby sees, based on their age. Pretty cool, I just downloaded it and am excited to check it out. But it's more than just sight alone. There's something in the way that babies see beauty in the ordinary that's inspiring, spiritual even. Now that the weather has (finally!) gotten nicer, I'm looking forward to many more walks with the little guy, and seeing more of the magic.
There's a talk I heard once on mindfulness meditation, around really seeing things for what they are -- not merely what we've named them. For instance, if you glance at a tree and think "tree", it's easy to walk right past it. But by removing the label "tree" from your mind, it becomes easier to see the individuality and uniqueness of this object -- its colors, patterns, branches.
Of course, babies do this inherently -- seeing the wonder of just about anything. When we first took Elliot home after our stay at the mama/baby spa, I remember seeing him transfixed, staring at our wallpaper, hardly blinking, he was so mesmerized. After their first walk together towards the lake (alas, it was too cold to actually go all the way), Elliot's grandmother said that Elliot's eyes were wide as saucers, just taking everything all in.
The beauty is that babies have this magical way of helping us see through their eyes (and slowing down, which is a crucial part of the presence process, and the part that's insanely hard for me). Without the mental models we've developed to simplify our life ("tree" - let's move on), even an "ordinary" branch generates awe and wonder. See exhibits 1 and 2 below from our walk through the Imperial Palace Park in Kyoto last week:
Turns out there's an app that lets you see what your baby sees, based on their age. Pretty cool, I just downloaded it and am excited to check it out. But it's more than just sight alone. There's something in the way that babies see beauty in the ordinary that's inspiring, spiritual even. Now that the weather has (finally!) gotten nicer, I'm looking forward to many more walks with the little guy, and seeing more of the magic.
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