Last week I was presenting in Cabo (c'mon guys…someone has got to do it!) and it was to a wonderful group of folks who worked in financial services and insurance. They were the top of their field, ran successful companies and very good at what they did.
There I was talking about energy suckers and showing them my symbol for the energy sucker (Wally the Woeful Wabbit) and out of my mouth fell the words (this is always the way new material comes to me!) "and Wally's are not only pessimists and cynics, but they are people who have lost all the awe and wonder and reverence in life." It had to be my beloved mother's influence that added this new dimension to my presentation. We all had a great time playing with this and saying "oooh" and "ahhh" every time a moment of awe or wonder emerged!
This is true of course for all of us at different times in our life - we lose that spectacular aspect of ourselves where we are filled with gratitude and reverence for those around us, and for the things that happen to us. We focus on the day to day bad stuff; the wanting more stuff; we start to feel entitled; we judge everyone and everything and see only from our own perspective.
When were you last stopped in your tracks by a fabulous flower, magnificent rainbow or spectacular sunset? Or even the laughing face of a small child? When did you last consciously look for the awe and wonder in everyday things around you? Almost everything in nature is a miracle if we open our eyes. And our loved ones are the biggest miracles of all! But often they are the ones we lose our awe, wonder and reverence with the most.
While I was packing up Mum's house, I came across a story that my nephew Derek had written as part of a project he had for school. The task was to write a short biography of someone in their family. He had chosen my mother as she was such an interesting person. As I read through it (and sobbed of course!!), I began to think - what a great idea this would be for anyone to do! As a family exercise, you could decide which person you wanted to write about and then interview them as if you were a journalist writing a magazine article about that person.
OK, for those of you who are saying "but what on earth would I ask them?"…here are some ideas. Find out what their likes and dislikes are. What are their favorite foods, songs, books, places and sports? What do they LOVE to do? Ask them what their purpose is in life and what is most important for them. What are their values and what are they passionate about? Do they have regrets? What do they think are the most important lessons they have learned so far? Ask them about defining moments in their lives, what happened and how it changed them. Ask them about the happiest moment they can recall and have them describe it to you in detail. Were there any teachers, mentors, friends or relatives who made a big difference in this person's life? And how did they do that? Ask them what their dreams, hopes and desires are!
Isn't it odd how we can live with someone our whole lives and yet may not even know any of these important things about them?! Why not try it just for fun? It could be a great activity for children, families and couples as well. Or if you are single, why not get some of your friends together and make it a group activity! What fun it could be as you finish the stories and introduce "Bob" to the group! Or you could interview your parents or grandparents. I know it might sound a bit corny, but you have no idea how willing people are to share this kind of information with us.
I wish I had done this with my Mum before she passed on. Although I knew her very well, there are many things I did not know, and would have loved to explore now if given the chance! I hope you can all benefit from my hindsight. Find a journal or some blank paper, and start interviewing those you love. See what joy it gives them and brings to you, too. Have fun with it - I have a feeling you will be really surprised at what you learn!!!
