February/March 2021

When you know that you can

When you know that you cannot

When you know that you can

You never want to again

--composed and sung by my 3 year-old neighbor

One of my fondest memories from my days as an Early Childhood Educator was recording verbatim what young children sing or say while playing. I was gifted with the experience to study under Dr. Patricia Nourot, one of the strongest advocates for play being a necessary component of early childhood education which led to her book, Play at the Center of the Curriculum. The application of Dr. Nourot’s research at childcare centers, preschools and elementary schools validated huge pieces of my childhood. I knew (like we all do at a very early age) that I didn’t learn well unless play was involved. I took my studies of early childhood to heart and still feel the importance of play, even as adults, is a large part of how all humans learn. When we find ourselves humming, singing, whistling as we are doing something that we enjoy, it becomes obvious that we are in the present moment with ourselves and the experience. To hear my young neighbor dance through his yard singing this song that he created while playing, reminded me of the beauty and essence of learning through play.

Early February started with an intense frequency retreat/training that finished with about three weeks of deep integration and upgrading my understanding. The entire month has been huge in terms of all kinds of learning and being in better relationship with myself. And much of the learning was accessible to me in a way that felt easy and enjoyable because I was in one of my favorite places on the Big Island of Hawaii. I got to play with the ocean and wind, breathe in the floral scents, sing with the whales, and admire the tropical plants and birds of every color. I was tucked in by a blanket of dark night skies filled with stars and galaxies. There was no resistance to what I was learning in every moment. Immersed in the environment, surrender was easily found and I was able to experience myself in a very fluid way. And to top it all off, the people at the retreat were instant friends, a rare find for me in this lifetime.

Now that the first week of March has come and gone. I’m starting to integrate the more subtle aspects of the retreat. Much of what I am now noticing is the crazy depth and capacity of human learning. The varieties of ways we all take in and digest information is infinite in nuance. And nothing I experienced in any of my conventional education from preschool to post graduate studies can even begin to tap into the expanse of what learning truly is. Hearing the sweet voice of my young neighbor singing at the top of his lungs not only brought me into presence but reminded me of what is possible.