Look for the Love Behind the Actions

Gifts from the heart.

I've been thinking about parenthood lately. Sixteen months since last seeing our sons, we flew across the country to visit one of them for Easter. Our other son is overseas and with Covid it will be some time before we will see him.

A tradition of mine since they were little has been, as well as other small gifts for Easter, to give our sons a pair of new underwear or socks, which sentiment has always been well enough received. In fact, for both Easter and Christmas underwear and socks have featured in the parcels I have sent them.

I mentioned this to someone with whom we are close and was taken aback by the ridicule, all in good humour, sent my way. Our sons are grown and it was inconceivable to him that I would do this, especially the underwear!

Maybe he is right and this little tradition of mine is verging on the ridiculous. It may be time to let it go. I thank that person. He got me thinking about this.

Then I asked myself why I have continued with it for so long. Those parcels spring from love. I think sometimes we mostly perceive parenthood from the receiving end. We all have parents so of course we are all knowledgeable on the subject of parenthood. We have seen it in action all our lives.

As we become adults we may see parents as a little silly when we talk about them. I remember how I regarded my own parents as somewhat out of touch and chuckled at the things they did, all from the receiving perspective of a daughter. I don't anymore though and realise that for me, my perspective changed when I had children of my own. Of course having children is not required to initiate a change in perspective. There are other life experiences that, like a light turning on, reveal the love behind the actions. Love is the key theme in all the above. The relevance to this blog is that when we practice yoga as a way of life, we bring love into the light. It becomes visible where we might not have seen it before.

I may be overthinking all the above. A good friend once made an interesting observation after we had been talking about our grown children. He stated, "Not on drugs, not in jail, job done!” Seeing the love he has for his daughters, I take that with a pinch of salt!