Mindful

Sharing is Caring

Jeanna G2 Comments

When we first moved to town, before buying the house I grew up in, we rented a house next to a family that became and remains close friends of ours. They had a daughter that was about my age, so naturally we played together often. When we bought our house around the corner and down the road, we still made our way back to their house to play on a regular basis. In the summers, they participated in a program called the Fresh Air Fund. Two young children from New York City would travel to our rural town to live with their host family, our friends, for the summer. My parents followed their lead and welcomed a young girl to live with us for a summer. I anticipated their arrival with a buzz of energy because I knew how the increase in group size would spur fresh dynamics that harnessed a lot of potential for game play!

The mission of the Fresh Air Fund is to transform limited opportunity into limitless potential for the underserved children of NYC. I wasn’t aware of this at the time, but my experiences with these children was my introduction to racial inequity. I remember how excited and nervous the children were in some of their new experiences with us. What do you mean you’ve never swum in a pond before? What do you mean you’ve never rolled down the side of a grassy hill before? What do you mean you’ve never stomped through a brook or walked through the woods or caught fireflies before? I took my advantages and opportunities for granted. I still do.

I offer up prayers of thanksgiving and gratitude, and prayers for those in need. My life’s work has revolved around helping the young and underprivileged gain skills and knowledge to achieve their goals. And so maybe I’m doing better than some of my privileged white counterparts in the awareness department, but I cannot become complacent, because there is always more to do and more to give.

I’m hopeful that, in light of recent events, more white people, myself included, will come to terms with their white identities. They will do some digging, uncover some truths, and let in some light. And then they will begin to share. And I don’t necessarily mean opening the doors to our homes to welcome in children from the city (although I highly recommend it!). I mean to share the kinds of things that are replenished and multiplied through the act of sharing: kindness, joy, knowledge, experiences, time, and friendship.

It’s past time for a season of change. It’s past time for those of us who have been breathing freely, stagnant as the air may be, to throw open the doors in our minds, because everyone can benefit from fresh air.

What gifts can you share? How can you help to level the playing field for all humankind? What opportunities and privileges have you taken for granted throughout your life?

Expanding Time

Jeanna GLeave a comment

My daughter’s elementary school hosts an art program every year, and this year’s theme was “Tiny Things Matter.” Despite the cancellation of school, I’m happy to report that the show did go on, albeit virtually. Her entry depicted the importance of the honey bee. I noticed as the other entries were presented that about 90% of them were also connected to nature. Among them were ants on a tree, dandelion seed puffs waiting to be blown, clovers nudging their way up between the rocks, and rain droplets on leaves. In my mind’s eye, I could see the children taking pause to observe these wonders while adults breezed on by.

I remember being outside all the time as a child. I climbed trees, tramped around in the ravine, and played hide and seek in fields of tall grass. I’d burn wood with a magnifying glass, build forts in the woods, and throw sticks in the quicksand down behind the neighbor’s house just to watch them disappear. I’d let daddy long-legs, fuzzy caterpillars, and inch worms climb up my arms during the day, and light up mason jars with fireflies on summer evenings. I don’t like admitting that most of these pastimes faded out as adolescence took hold.

During the stay-at-home order, my daughter and I have been capitalizing on the opportunity to be outside and observe the changes that spring ushers in, when we would otherwise be sitting at a desk in an office or classroom. Our lunchtime walks have become part of our new daily routine, and I will miss them dearly when schools reopen. Despite the phenomenally thick layer of pollen, springtime is quite beautiful here in North Carolina. My mom threw her back out and has not been able to go on walks, so I send her pictures of what we see on ours.

Sights on our Springtime Strolls

Other than the sights, sounds, and scents of spring, the best part of these walks is that we can take our time. Before the world closed, I was always in such a rush. There was no time to smell the flowers and make wishes on dandelions.

But time is tricky. Time flies when you’re having fun. We grow up and wonder where all the time went. When we’re bored or unhappy we plead for time to hurry up. We don’t have time, so we try to make time, so that we can take our time. And time is relative, right Einstein? Apparently the experience of time is also subjective.

I did a little digging around and came across a study that shows when people experience the feeling of awe, an effect is the subjective expansion of time. In other words, when we give more attention to something, and are more emotionally engaged in that moment, we actually feel as though time is slowing down, and we are thereby gifted with more time. To children, everything is new and awesome. So by taking the time to focus on all that is new, they are slowing time. They might even have the power to reverse time; they are juvenescent! To adults, everything is old news, so we speed past everything. Been there, done that. Seen it. And then BAM!, we’re old and wondering how time passed us by.

Slow down. Be mindful. Go for a walk and stop to look into the intricate face of an iris. Search for the perfect skipping stones. Grab a pair of binoculars and look for birds camping out in trees. Carry along a magnifying glass and spy on the busy bugs. Reopen your eyes to the awesomeness of nature, and maybe you can harness the power to expand time.

What do you find awe-inspiring? When is the last time you were able to give your undivided attention to something? What engages your emotions to the point that you feel completely in the moment?