I love spending time with my twenty-one-month-old grandson. It is so fascinating to watch him learn and grow. It is also amazing to experience what happens when we meet in the consciousness of now.
When we are cooking, eating, washing dishes, cleaning, changing diapers, gardening, or going for a walk, that is just what we are doing. Nothing more and nothing less.
The consciousness of now envelops us in its nourishing bubble. It is light, transparent and magical. Can you picture it?
When the toddler enters my presence, we come together in this bubble. He knows the rhythms in our home, so we both relax into activities, unburdened by decision-making. He giggles with delight when experiencing the familiar and I giggle along with him. How could I not?
For example, after lunch, when we go upstairs to nap, we pull down the shades to darken the room. He points at the same things on the shelf each time with exclamations of joy. When we settle into the rocking chair for snuggling, he giggles when I hum one of his favorite songs like “baa baa black sheep” before drifting off to sleep.
I lay him down and sometimes watch him slumber before getting on with quiet activities at my desk. When he awakens, we reunite in the bubble of now. In that realm, I have started knitting and baking again. He sits next to me when I knit, at times on the table when putting ingredients in the bowl for a sweet bread.
Watching him marvel at the wind, I have rediscovered its wonder. Autumn is ideal for seeing the wind blow leaves off the trees and swirl them through the air. I enjoy it most when he is around; the sense of wonder is catchy.
Besides toddler time, I enter the bubble of now when I practice yoga, hike or immerse myself in my work. For the young child living in the consciousness of now, play is their work and playfulness is their way of experiencing the world. In that undivided consciousness, all is well.
Time with my grandson awakens in me the consciousness of now and the wonder of the young child experiencing the wonder of everything! Eventually, he will outgrow this consciousness and new thought processes will awaken. In the meantime, I will do my best not to burst the bubble!
