A typical day for me is usually centered around my kids. I wake up when they do, prepare breakfast, guide them with their lessons (we homeschool year round), then I send them outside to play with the kids from the school across the street while I usually do some gardening (or shovelling), I prepare lunch, engage in various other creative / educational activities or outings in the afternoon, and then, if he's in town, daddy comes home and we shift into the evening routine. I love the flexibility we have, and I do try to fit in some time for writing, meditation and reading whenever I can.
The most important things I want to teach the kids don't come from books. I wish for them to become self-aware -to be able to understand, witness and self-regulate their shifting emotions. I want to give them freedom to follow their creative impulses and their natural curiosity. I want them to know that it's ok to trust and follow their inner-wisdom, their intuition and their spirit. They are encouraged to play, to be spontaneous, to laugh and to experience joy in all its colourful forms.
It is by filling their own hearts with overflowing love that they naturally want to extend this loving-kindness to others, regardless of their age, race, physical appearance or personality. I try my hardest to teach presence and awareness by example, and I hope that someday they will understand that their outer world is merely a reflection of their inner-essence. In short, what they are learning right now is how to prepare their inner-landscape for maximal growth. Topics like preparing the soil, selecting the right seeds, weeding, fertilizing, watering and dealing with pests are all on our conscious homeschooling curriculum!
As fun and varied as it is, our daily routine can get a little exhausting at times. What I find the most challenging is finding the necessary time / space to allow myself to get recentered and grounded in my own awareness. The kids have unlimited amounts of energy and they are like little buzzing bees swarming around me all day long with various requests, concerns and needs. If I want to stay calm and untriggered amidst the storms, I have to constantly wake myself up and recognize that children have developing egos that are by nature, unconscious. If I am lost in my own unconsciousness, things can quickly get ugly. In this sense, parenting is an extremely effective spiritual practice, because we as parents get immediate feedback when we become too identified with our ego-minds. I know, it's not a glamorous process...
The thing is, if I don't give myself that necessary time and space to breathe, meditate, to get a clear perspective and recharge my energy, my consciousness battery quickly gets depleted and I'm not as effective as a parent. However, when I get to strengthen my consciousness practice on my own -without the constant triggers and challenges from the kids- it gets stronger and more anchored in my being. Just like a muscle, we need to train our awareness gradually and turn it into a habit so that we'll eventually be able to take on more unconscious "weight" from the world all around us.
That being said, I've just had the incredible luxury of having an entire week to myself! Rob and the kids went to the cabin in Saskatchewan and I gave myself an intensive consciousness training boot camp! It's been absolutely wonderful. At first I thought "what will I do with all this time?" but it felt like time stopped completely. I read, meditated, exercised, contemplated, listened to inspiring audio programs, watched consciousness-related videos, coloured mandalas and just did whatever felt right in the moment. I allowed myself to be spontaneous, trust my intuition and live from the heart. This is the first time in my life I have been able to experience living this way, (completely alone) with such joy, for an entire week. I feel fully renewed and grateful. My babies are coming home in a few hours, I can't wait to see them!!!!!
If you can give yourself even just 15 minutes a day to breathe, meditate and become aware of your thoughts, you will feel the immediate and long-term benefits. Lock yourself in the bathroom if you need to, it's worth it!
Warmly,
Lise
www.lisevilleneuve.com
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