Sometimes I take my children on a hunt for heart shaped
rocks….
Really, I am taking them on a peaceful walk and practicing calm.
Finding success in their ability to put one foot in front of the other.
I don’t tell them bilateral stimulation gets both side of the brain working together.
I don’t tell them while walking as a group I have turned their hypervigilance off of each other or the thing that is dysregulating them, and helped them focus on one single thing.
Sometimes if they need more stimulation not to make word wars with each other, we add music.
And there we are subconsciously walking to the beat, maybe humming along putting one foot in front of the other, and repeat.
Sometimes we talk about “the thing” big or small…most often times we do not, funny, it seems to disappear in the horizon behind us, simply by walking, and being, and matching step.
Somedays that’s all we get....
The walking.
Somedays I find that in the process I have to over and over remind them; “I like it when you stay on the path, that way I know you are safe.”
Somedays we get home faster all together, somedays we complete the full three mile circle, and sometimes…we have to turn around and go back the way be came.
all of it is perfect and just right for that day.
Somedays they try to run ahead, and yet, find a stopping point and wait…because they do want me with them…somedays I worry they won’t slow down, or will run to far off the path into the canal, or barbed wire.
Really, I am taking them on a peaceful walk and practicing calm.
Finding success in their ability to put one foot in front of the other.
I don’t tell them bilateral stimulation gets both side of the brain working together.
I don’t tell them while walking as a group I have turned their hypervigilance off of each other or the thing that is dysregulating them, and helped them focus on one single thing.
Sometimes if they need more stimulation not to make word wars with each other, we add music.
And there we are subconsciously walking to the beat, maybe humming along putting one foot in front of the other, and repeat.
Sometimes we talk about “the thing” big or small…most often times we do not, funny, it seems to disappear in the horizon behind us, simply by walking, and being, and matching step.
Somedays that’s all we get....
The walking.
Somedays I find that in the process I have to over and over remind them; “I like it when you stay on the path, that way I know you are safe.”
Somedays we get home faster all together, somedays we complete the full three mile circle, and sometimes…we have to turn around and go back the way be came.
all of it is perfect and just right for that day.
Somedays they try to run ahead, and yet, find a stopping point and wait…because they do want me with them…somedays I worry they won’t slow down, or will run to far off the path into the canal, or barbed wire.
Yet they don’t. and never have.
Sometimes we find dozens of heart shaped rocks.
Sometimes we might find two.
There are days they find a round rock and try to convince me it is indeed heart shaped.
I don’t argue, that is not what this practice is about.
I accept that it is, and we put it in our pockets and keep going.
I should in theory have buckets full of heart shaped rocks.
I don’t.
Somehow they disappear.
Somehow at any given time I can only find 3 or 4.
I don’t know if they are throwing them in the field behind our house.
Burying them…or perhaps have these heart shaped rocks hidden somewhere in their rooms, secret treasure.
What I do know, is in the search, in the quiet, in the acceptance, we find a pocket full of peace.
Sometimes we find dozens of heart shaped rocks.
Sometimes we might find two.
There are days they find a round rock and try to convince me it is indeed heart shaped.
I don’t argue, that is not what this practice is about.
I accept that it is, and we put it in our pockets and keep going.
I should in theory have buckets full of heart shaped rocks.
I don’t.
Somehow they disappear.
Somehow at any given time I can only find 3 or 4.
I don’t know if they are throwing them in the field behind our house.
Burying them…or perhaps have these heart shaped rocks hidden somewhere in their rooms, secret treasure.
What I do know, is in the search, in the quiet, in the acceptance, we find a pocket full of peace.
We are always on the lookout for hearts as well :)
ReplyDeleteThank you, think I may go looking for heart shaped rocks too.
ReplyDelete