Tuesday, December 6, 2016

Wisdom from the Mouth of Babes - Part 2

So the other night I was spending time with P after reading his bedtime story. We were lying on the bed comfortably, our heads touching. And as usual, P had a lot to say. Sometimes P can read my mind. If it had only happened once or maybe even just two or three times, I might put it off to coincidence. But it has happened so very many times that I no longer do. 

I remember reading a book called "Autobiography of a yogi", and in a certain section, the author is speaking about his time in India as a young boy. He was at a boy’s camp, maybe a sort of ashram, and they were forbidden to speak for some time. I don't remember all the details, but it was for more than an hour, probably at least a few days, if not a few weeks. He spoke in his book how initially it was difficult, tempting, and maybe at times frustrating. As time went on though, something amazing happened. The boys began having conversations and communicating without speaking. In other words, they could hear each other’s thoughts and respond in kind.

On this particular evening with P, he seemed to me to be acting a bit odd. It was around the time of the super moon. He had a funny, whimsical grin, as if everything was just a little bit comical, a sort of light-hearted giddiness. I had not noticed this quality in him before. As I lied next to him, I was pondering about going more or totally vegetarian. I have always tried to eat a healthy, varied diet with lots of veggies and fruits, and things that are good for you. At times I have been vegetarian or cut out all meat and just eaten fish. When I have been pregnant, I have generally just eaten what my body craves, and for the most part the same goes for nursing. Since nursing would probably be winding down within the next six or so months, these subjects were on my mind. I had already begun to cut back on the amount of meat, and many days would go by that were already vegetarian.

Suddenly P blurts out: "We should not eat pigs". "Really?", I say, just a little taken aback. “Why not?” He responds: "Because they scream when they die." "How do you know?" "I saw a program on the TV in France." Hmmm OK, "Well, what about cows?" "No." "Chickens?" "No, not chickens either, but fish are ok".


I am amazed. Where is this coming from? He just seems so all-knowing, still with that odd little comical look. Suddenly in an instant he looks like his usual self, he waits just a beat and then blurts out with all the huge emotion of a lion: "But the chicken sandwiches are soooo delicious!!" And there it is, from the mouth of my babe. There are these parts of our being that know what is right and good, what might be the best choices at the right times for our personal health, or perhaps just exercising a higher level of compassion and empathy to the animals or mother earth. And yet our very humanness is tempted to satisfy our base desires, be that physically, or emotionally. Both exist and co-exist and we swing back and forth between our knowing, and our being, and doing. Sometimes we are trying and other times letting go, because after all life is sooooo delicious!