This morning, as I was driving my 3-year old son to his preschool, I began thinking again about all that he will grow to become. I am excited to see his life's journey unfold, and I recognize that I have an important role in determining his trajectory, or at least contributing to it.
I am not preoccupied pondering things such as: what he will do, where he will live, or who he will love. I want what most people want for their children- I want him to be happy and be a good person.
My desire for his emotional and spiritual growth and development had me thinking about how to achieve that objective. Ideally, we could fly to a developing country and volunteer in an orphanage together. Perhaps I could donate a large sum of money to a charity and explain to him that philanthropy is critical to stabilizing our moral compass by helping those less fortunate. If I had infinite resources, I might have more access but not necessarily better opportunity to foster an empathetic, loving, compassionate and emotionally generous person.
Today, I created the "People Paws Planet" Plan for our family.
The principle is simple: once a month, Finley and I will participate in an act of kindness targeting people, paws (animals), or the planet with the goal of increasing an awareness of ones own capability and capacity for kindness over time by simply experiencing these seemingly insignificant acts.
Our first activity will be in three weeks. Since lemonade stands were a rite of passage during my childhood, I am excited about the opportunity to share that experience with my son. We will plan our activity, which will give me the context to discuss why we are doing it, and the opportunity to model follow-through. Plans will include purchasing the supplies, watching the weather report to select a particularly hot day, and finding a location to set up the lemonade stand in a part of the city where there is a large homeless / transient population. The best part, the charge is free. I intend on creating a sign that says, "please help me teach my son about kindness and quench your thirst while feeding his soul."
I am not sure as to what the outcome of our first activity will be. I imagine as with everything, it will be a work in progress; however, the teaching style is less important than the lesson imparted. I may make some mistakes along the way, but I have 15 years of deliberate teachings ahead. Here is to understanding that Finley and I will be both the teacher and the student in this endeavor. I look forward to sharing the experiences with you, my friends. And I hope you consider joining me.
Onwards!
Amy
