My grandmother Helen used to say, (as my mother told me) that you cannot hate a quality in another person without also hating that quality in yourself. We tend to see the differences, flaws & imperfections in others so clearly sometimes, and yet are blind to our own flaws. In contrast, some find & focus on the flaws in themselves to the point where they feel they have no purpose or value in Life, when the truth is, everyone has value & purpose regardless of their abilities or dis-abilities.
This month is the month we celebrate Love. The Buddhists teach us of 5 kinds of Love: love for a family member, love for a spouse, love for someone who is hurting, love for ourselves and love for those we don't know. The general themes in all of my children's Yoga classes this month revolve around some form of love; kindness, friendship, compassion, empathy, understanding, inclusion, etc.
I emphasize to the students that there is something unique and special to love in each of us even though it may be a challenge to find those positive qualities in some. We all have different abilities and all are important in the whole picture of Life. We can improve most interactions by first, learning to love ourselves as we are-flawed and imperfect- and second by recognizing that others are flawed & imperfect too, and that is exactly what makes us so beautiful.
Its important to note that along with compassion for the flaws in others, its more important to teach our children how to embrace and love the flaws in themselves and work on using their gifts and talents. This is learned best by following our example. If you show love, patience and compasion towards yourself, & your child, your child will learn to do this too.
Our perceived flaws are just that-perceptions. They represent personal challenges & a way to learn about & understand the people & the world around us. Practicing compassion for ourselves & others can give us new insight, new skills and a new appreciation for our flaws as well as our talents.
I strongly encourage you to guide your children to identify the unique qualities they possess and how they can use that talent to help themselves & the people around them. A notebook or journal or even a vision board is a great way to help create focus around this idea.
Take 15 minutes each day this month-whether at dinnertime, before school or before bed, to talk about using our kindness & talents well & encouraging others to do the same. No child-or adult- is too young-nor too old-to begin learning this important practice.
Our story of the month, "The Cracked Pot" is an ancient tale from India and holds so many messages for children and adults alike about kindness & compassion.
This beautiful story speaks to all of us-children & adults of all abilities.
We hope you & your child enjoy it as well!
~Barbara
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment