Re-Introduction
“How does it feel to be you?”
Asked the child
“How does it feel to be a tree?
What does being a stone feel like?
What does being pregnant feel like?
How does it feel to grow old?
How does it feel for wood to be made into a chair?
How does it feel for fuel to burn inside a motor engine?
What does being water feel like?
What does being sunlight feel like?
Being earth?
Being plastic?”
.
When I was a child
Each new day was an adventure into the unknown
Everything moved me, excited me, stirred me
I was often frightened, but always enthusiastic
All the while it seemed as if the adults took it all in stride
Going along with their plans
Treating everything very casually
Too casually...
Since I was so overwhelmed by life’s events
Their apparent indifference bewildered me
I attributed it, as perhaps many children do
To their great wisdom and courage
It was only many years later, during my thirties
And past the turmoil of my teens and twenties
That thanks to some inner peace I achieved through Yoga and therapy
- I had realized that at some point I had joined their ranks
I was (and still am) indeed a “Grownup”
Yet not as wise and courageous as I imagined I would be
Somewhere along the way
I had misplaced my sense of wonder
And as far as I could tell
By the rarity of the appearance of a sparkle in their eyes
The infrequency of the tone of enthusiasm in their voices
So did most other Grownups
There was There is
Something affecting the majority of mature adults
A sort of social affliction
This coincides with a growing understanding nowadays
That we humans must reconnect –
Reconnect with our emotions
Reconnect with our bodies
Reconnect with each other
Reconnect with nature
Reconnect with a deeper sense of meaning and belonging
.
Life is wonderful
Every moment is magical
But sometimes the magic gets lost, dissipated
Like the atmosphere of a long, refreshing and nourishing vacation
As we return to tackle chores, duties, and re-enter a daily routine
Like the enchantment of a special, romantic, intimate night
By the noisy daily hustle of a new working day
Magic may even be forgotten Barely memorable
The sense of wonder greatly diminished
Exhilaration and inspiration rarely occurring
And it can happen to anyone Both to a person
And a civilization
It takes wisdom and courage
To admit it
To pick up the pieces
Rekindle the cinders
And allow magic to shine within you once again
As it did during childhood
.
During my thirties I had discovered and re-discovered
Many habits and practices that made me feel more joyful, more fulfilled
But the many avenues and methods to ‘Reconnect’
– New Age, Alternative, Esoteric, Holistic –
Have often seemed to me like fragments
Pieces that are related to one another
Once part of a single, greater whole
A comprehensive, sustainable, alternative way of life
Not just something to supplement or alleviate “modern life”
An environment
A community
A world
One can immerse into completely
The source of origin
A source which has never been sufficiently emphasized
Highlighted
