Love you Guys

My kid was at a sleepover recently, hanging out and catching up with a good pal who went to the same elementary school, but who goes to a different middle school.  Seventh grade can be tough in all sorts of way and the kids worked hard to step up to it.  I was particularly delighted to wake up and read the following email (subject line, “can I tell you how cute they are?”) over my wife’s shoulder from our friend, the mom of my son’s friend:

“So, they’re watching The Hangover…(I hope you don’t mind.  Will told me he already saw it).  I hear all this clattering in the kitchen so I get up and see pure delight on their faces. They are making their own ice cream sundaes with all the trimmings, movie paused.  Such a sweet time.  Life doesn’t get better than winter break, a night with a good, good friend, watching a good, good movie and having the sundae of your dreams!

Love you guys!”

*

I wanted to share this on several counts.  For one, the art of taking pure pleasure in the pleasure of others is one of the windows that parenting can help open for us.  For another, the spirit of this message actualizes the community and fellowship to be found in loving not just our own kids, but each other’s children too.  Finally, I just like the writing, vividly bringing a scene to life and transmitting the purely joyful emotion of it so effortlessly.  Some of my favorite art is found art, and when I found this email I just couldn’t help but tack it up on the refrigerator of my blog with the magnet of a kiss.

So, let’s dedicate today to seeing the beauty of other people’s good times, especially our kids and their friends—for better and for worse seeing softly to the Self in the hearts and experiences of all “others.”  Look for the sweet and joyous today; find it on the street and at the market, on our screens and in our mirrors—to the benefit of all our collective children.

Namaste, Bruce