The well-loved child is understood, held and cherished. They are beautiful and smart because they are always loved.
Imagine yourself holding an infant. You hold the child in
your left arm and wrap your right arm gently around the child.
The baby’s cheek is pressed against your heart and you gently pat the child’s back. You might hum or whisper something soothing.
The baby’s cheek is pressed against your heart and you gently pat the child’s back. You might hum or whisper something soothing.
The baby falls asleep and for a moment you merge into one.
Compassion is like that. It banishes the separation between
individuals; for a moment you share all that is needed—gentle rocking and a
moment of peace. A bond grows out of that togetherness and all you want is the
child’s safety and well-being.
We cannot stay infants forever, however, and we go out into
the world where perhaps we are not noticed, certainly not loved. We feel the
pain of separation in the silent stares, the lack of recognition, the slights
incurred by strangers. We seek consolation by idealizing persons we admire. We
feel disappointed in ourselves when they fail as if we acted in error.
Kindness can heal the pain of loss and separation. We can offer
kindness to others perhaps, but can we offer it to ourselves?
Place your hand on your
heart and feel the warmth. Pat yourself as you would a beloved child and think
or say the Loving Kindness meditation. “May I be filled with loving kindness,
may I be safe, may I be well, may I be happy.”
Daily practice of loving kindness can help release us from
fears and worries. As we hold ourselves and our strong emotions in compassionate embrace,
we let go of identifying with the emotion. Anger and fear are a part of life,
we are not angry, fearful people. We invite the anger and fear to tell us what
we need to hear. Perhaps it is an injustice or imbalance that needs to be
addressed. Perhaps it is a lack of information or a miscommunication. We can
let anger and fear guide us toward change. These emotions subside when we let
them serve their purpose.
Namaste.
