we are...

Humankind has not woven the web of life.

We are but one thread within it.

Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves.

All things are bound together.

All things connect.

~ Chief Seattle, 1854

♡

sea-ing

shortly before this, he was not too keen on playing in the water,

or on being apart from mommy...

amazing what we are capable of when given the space

to stretch the limits of our comfort zones,

and the gentle encouragement to try new experiences...

☀

we learn to tap into our true potential

and from that, infinite possibilities arise...

 uncle ray helped him to fly

an experience that is a little frightening, but thrilling at the same time
(fear and excitement bring about physiologically similar responses in our bodies)

conquering fear,

we feel good, feel accomplished.

  going a little too far is often how we find our edge.
finding our outer limits that each moment brings is the larger practice.
if we embrace these limits and *sea* them for what they are,
we allow our edges to become less solidified...

running in water is an adjustment
legs don't move as fast as they do on land but the first time we encounter this
it is natural for our mind to still think they will carry us in the same way...
we can only see that our legs didn't fail us, the sea is not a bad place,
when we give ourselves the space
to be imperfect
we are not meant to get things right on the first try, every time,
nor to be perfect...

 we can always just pause, shift gears, retreat for a while...
know that it is enough for now

and still feel good, feel accomplished.

like horses after an exciting experience, going back to grazing.
this is the part most of us are not trained to do in our culture,
we are not taught the value of grazing!
if we are constantly pushing ourselves, we are only learning to push more,
we are literally

~ training in never be-ing enough ~

*just be-ing*
is the only way true awareness and wisdom about our experiences arises.

(he embraced getting sandy which he also wasn't keen on at first!)

sharing what we have learned by helping others to also face their fears
we are marking our progress, building confidence
and reassuring loved ones that we are okay, we are learning, this is all a part of living.

mentors and teachers come in all sizes, even (especially) at a year and a half young...

this now 3 year-old continues to splash, and play, stumble, and graze

in a loving, supportive container

every day he is learning more about himself
and to trust his own experience with the world.

what's more important in life than that...

☀

may we all practice *sea-ing* the seeds of possibility

that have been planted in our own lives.

some may need more cultivation than others,

but trust that they are there...

☀☀☀

The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears or the sea.

~Isak Dinesen

☀☀☀☀☀☀