Make The Ordinary Come Alive
I don’t have a lot to say about the following poem. Sometimes that’s the only fit response when you encounter sheer wisdom. There is nothing say, just a great deal to ponder.
William Martin’s counsel isn’t only for parents to children, I believe, but for all of us. For how can we give or ask for that which we haven’t experienced ourselves. And so before we can invite our children to see the extraordinary in the ordinary, we ourselves need to practice that discipline.
A meal cooked by a friend. The quiet fidelity of a spouse. A warm fire to banish for a moment the chill of winter. A good book. A shoulder to cry on. A hand to hold. Crocus – soon, we pray! – bursting through the snow. A quite moment to rest and reflect. A poem that makes you sit up and take notice.
Each of these is a small, even mundane thing. Yet each also has the capacity, if we are open to it, to usher us into an experience of grace, when God’s goodness presents itself not as a prize to be sought but a gift to be received. May it be so with our children…and with us.
Make the Ordinary Come Alive
Do not ask your children
to strive for extraordinary lives.
Such striving may seem admirable,
but it is a way of foolishness.
Help them instead to find the wonder
and the marvel of an ordinary life.
Show them the joy of tasting
tomatoes, apples, and pears.
Show them how to cry
when pets and people die.
Show them the infinite pleasure
in the touch of a hand.
And make the ordinary come alive for them.
The extraordinary will take care of itself.
By William Martin, The Parent’s Tao Te Ching: Ancient Advice for Modern Parents
Note: Thanks to Katie for pointing me toward this poem.
Thank you for posting this beautiful poem.
I agree with Laura, though not only for the poem. I’d also like to appreciate the explanation and thoughts.
Extra ordinary life.
I just don’t love this excerpt, but it takes me back to my childhood and the way my parents raised me and my siblings.
So very very true. I liked times better back then because time and respect were plenty.
A BIRD’S VIEW-POINT:
The points made by, Maria and Rita, are to be pondered upon, though it would be helpful to also realize that actually all human beings are innately attracted to the beauty of life (poems, music, dance and art are just few amazing ways of expressing that beauty). Hence,I personally wasn’t surprised when I first read it on facebook, that the poem gives me childlike nausea feelings. Because sometimes adults are so caught up in life that we just aren’t able to see the most obvious beauty on this planet, Humans. Who, in reference to the recent movie “LUCY”, are very, very complex beings. The very act of socializing is in a way quite extraordinary while also being ordinary at the same time. If only we would take the time, and put in a pinch of effort, to observe our seemingly boring life, we’d also be able to see the beauty around us, remembering that the basis of life can be defined by many single words and phrases. And, all this triggered by the speechlessness of the poem, I can say with almost a 100% experienced,high-pondering accuracy.
Thank You For Reading,
You Have my appreciation