I put baby on the floor with two plastic clothes pins in front of her. One is within grasp of her chubby dimpled fingers and she picks it up and inspects it right away. The other’s a tad farther and I hope she’ll scoot or crawl to it. I’m seeing if she can crawl a bit, even though I’m in no way eager to be chasing her around and telling her not to put the cat litter in her mouth every ten seconds. Each time she tries to put the first pin down and move towards the pin that’s farther. But as she does so she looks down and rediscovers the first pin. It happens about five times, and I, with my adult, goal-oriented brain, am thinking, just drop the first one and crawl to the second. But she, with her baby brain which is growing every day, is more in the moment. She says, hmm, look at that pin over there, but wait, what about this one? Have I seen it before? It made me wonder which of us was really “right.” In fact, we’re just both prisoners of our ages and sometimes can’t see past our present circumstances. Like me and my perpetual worries about what to do with my life. Would a 55 year-old have a totally different perspective? My parents both unknowingly give me similar advice when I complain about my current state. They’ve been on this planet 20 and 26 years longer than me and know better. They tell me that I can’t always see what’s just around the corner and that one day I’ll see that the choices I’m making weren’t so bad after all. And that it’s no use being so serious about life when laughing would be much healthier. But like baby I’m obsessed with the “clothes pin” in my hand and can’t imagine there’s anything beyond it. My 35-year-old brain simply wants answers now!!
I guess what they say is true, youth is wasted on the young. And when you start to realize that, you must be old!
In the meantime, here’s a look at a typical baby dilemma, cat, camera or TV? Yes, she’s saying “mama” but we’re not quite sure if it’s directed at me or just a sound she likes.
4 comments:
Mama, dada, chat chat.....she did say "mama" and "dada" quite clearly. The cat is just being a cat, while baby is being curious baby. Age is a funny thing. I often tell myself to see things through the eyes of a child so that I can rediscover what life is about. Being in the moment is something that you lose the ability to do when you get older and think about the move instead of just sitting down and savoring what is right in front of you.
This clothespin scenario is hilarious and warrants a deeper psychological study! I believe it was old Piaget who did all these studies about babies who wondered where objects went when they are put behind a screen and then later revealed. Their brains are trying to determine if the object really disappears or is being hidden.
If the clothespins are exactly the same color--is the child musing that they are they same and are simply hopping to another location? Is it a trick of her eyes, and there is only one clothespin?
Or is she a true example of "Be Here Now" ?
And that is the message---as an advertisement here in America for an insurance company says: "Life comes at you fast."
Slow down and play with some clothespins. And laugh.
I agree with you mother that Juliette's behavior is perhaps an example of "Be Here Now".
Who is the teacher here? Is she teaching us (by seeing her actions)how to go back to that non attachment nature or can we be teachers to her to keep as much of that quality as she can while practicing it ourselves?
Her brain will figure out soon about all these things and evolve as it should. We can hope that she can maintain her in the moment nature as she grows.
I agree...laugh and smile..
Love your life
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