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Welcome to the May 9, 2004 Issue of The Mindful Parent Newsletter. Let's conduct a little experiment. Place your hand a few inches in front of your face and look beyond your hand. What do you see? Odds are you identified a hand, maybe fingers, and you identified certain objects in your field of vision -- perhaps a table, a computer, a window, a telephone. We have a tendency to see physical objects and to overlook the space surrounding and within those physical objects. When our awareness absorbs that space, we begin to move into stillness, our true source of joy and fulfillment. In this week's newsletter we'll discuss how our children can help us move into that space. You may recall the optical illusion of the vase which, if you shift your perspective, melts into two silhouettes gazing longingly to each other. From this image, a vessel doing little more than holding space is transformed into two lovers. A fleeting shift of perception changes the world. A rock is much more than the hard substance one thinks of when one feels its weight. Our flesh is much more than the rubbery bag that holds our bones. Whether we consider a rock, our skin, or the sun -- there is an almost infinitely greater amount of space that comprises its structure than there is the tangible substance on which we focus. Have you ever thought about the space surrounding your child? There is the space surrounding their body and the hairs on their head; the space between their fingers, and leading into their nostrils and ear canals. There is the ever changing space formed by their mouth as they speak. There is the space between their thoughts. There is the space between the words they utter -- forever emerging pauses of silence. You have always been invited to dwell within that space. For it is there that your child's true essence is found. You will find yours there as well. This is a space in which there are no words and no thoughts. It is impossible to describe. It is the vase transformed, without intention, into love. This week, try to be more aware of the space within and around your child. Listen for the silent gaps that punctuate the sounds your child utters. As your awareness moves into these gaps, just let it happen. Try not to think too much about it. The following verse is one we can recite to help awaken us to the gaps not uttered. Remember, there is far more space -- far more gaps -- than anything else in this world. Every sound I hear Emerges out of silence Returns to silence Like these thoughts of mine I doubt it is a coincidence that the design of the cosmos matches, in so many marvelous ways, the subatomic world. Planets orbit suns much like electrons orbit the nuclei of atoms. As enormous as the expanse of space between planets and suns and galaxies may be, that expanse pales when compared to the immense distances between particles found at the subatomic level. As you explore and move into these spaces, do not be surprised if you feel momentary surges of energy as your awareness opens into the immense space. Allow yourself to breathe deeply as you sense the space. Maybe it begins with the brief silent pause at the end of a sentence. In time, it can become the gap between every syllable uttered. Maybe it will take shape when your cell phone signal fades. Perhaps you will find it in the gaps between your child's laughter or sobs. Like the space between particles, these flickers of an instance are endless. Listen deeply for the space -- the pause -- and a sense of calm will emerge imbued with a deep aliveness. It is not difficult to imagine oneself floating easy and free in the depths of outer space. But driving from our home to the corner store to pick up a newspaper, or to drop our child off or take them somewhere, so easily can be fraught with a sense of urgency, complexity, and disappointment. At the same time, the trip is filled with myriad opportunities to float easy and free. Find the space and jump into it, even if for only a few seconds. Those seconds really are an eternity. Until next time. Scott Rogers Editor, The Mindful Parent Newsletter http://TheMindfulParent.org

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