childhood antics | Butterfly Sand

When I was a child I was curious about everything. When I was in probably grade 8 it was too far to go home for lunch so I stayed in the school cafeteria. Children at that age get bored easily, at least I did. And I wasn’t alone. Somebody came up with the idea of investigating the notion of levitation. I don’t know who came up with the experiment but there were probably five or six of us were involved. We would go into a darkened classroom. One person would lie on the floor and the others would gather around and put two fingers underneath the body of the first person. We would then try and lift them. Not easy to do. However, we would then concentrate. We all thought about how light the person was we were about to lift. And the person being lifted would concentrate on being as light as a feather. At that point we tried to lift them again and would usually get several inches off the ground. And of course we had to switch people so everyone got a chance to be the body on the floor. It was very cool!

I don’t know if any of the group went on to study this phenomenon further. I didn’t. It was just a really cool thing we did when we were kids. But I have to wonder about the power of our minds even at that tender age. Did we convince ourselves that we were stronger and the one person lighter? Or did we convince ourselves that we couldn’t lift the person the first time around? It does make one wonder.

Jump ahead 40+ years and I am faced with another dilemma. I have multiple sclerosis. I am in a wheelchair. I cannot walk or even stand. Is it possible, simply through using the power of my mind, for me to change my circumstances? My first reaction is: no. We cannot wish our ills away. But my second reaction is: yes. How you deal with your situation comes directly from your attitude, your mind.

Will I perhaps tomorrow stand up and walk? Probably not. Will I continue to lead a productive and fulfilling life? Absolutely! I believe there is great power in each and every individual. We have to tap into that power, harness it, control it, in order to benefit from it. If you believe that you are ugly and stupid then your mind will find a way to make sure you are ugly and stupid. If you truly believe in who you are, you will become the best version of yourself possible. The power of your mind will see to it.

I was a child of the 60s. I wasn’t a youth, or young adult. I was a toddler, an ankle biter, a little kid. In those days children were allowed to be children. I ran outside, I licked rocks, I ate grass and hay and yes probably dirt. That’s what kids did. I used to get up in the morning, have breakfast that my mother had made and go outside. Often she would pack me a lunch and I would be gone until dinnertime. She didn’t always know where I was but she always knew that I was safe. If the truth were to be told often I wasn’t. I used to play in a local gravel pit as well as on a busy train track. Then there was the swamp with quicksand I used to play in. I was having a ball! And I survived it.

Nowadays I see parents taking their children to school and picking them up afterward. I see schools that have banned foods because of allergies. I see signs everywhere that ask people to refrain from wearing perfume because of allergies. These are very serious issues. I don’t ever recall anyone being allergic to peanuts as a child, or perfume, or well anything. Now I have to wonder if this is a new phenomenon? Have we so restricted our children from being exposed to anything that we have done them a huge disservice? I rarely ever see children outside playing on the grass, in the dirt. Instead they are inside attached to a computer or some computer game. They don’t get to experience the great outdoors, the fresh air, the sun. We also are so concerned about germs and viruses that we use antibacterial soap on everything. Now we have superbugs that are stronger than our soaps. Surely you know the story of Frankenstein, a monster created out of someone’s arrogance? Well take a look in the mirror because that’s what we are doing!

We are raising children to be afraid of everything and we are creating super bugs that validate that fear. Does that not sound like the height of hubris? Perhaps if we had left well enough alone and let our kids eat a little dirt we wouldn’t be in the predicament that we are now. It does make you wonder.