Children

As adults simplicity and joy are two of the ideals we strive for in living a spiritual life. As a student of Sri Chinmoy I manage my own business as a domestic handy-man, many of my clients have small children. Of late I have been noticing how much joy my little friends bring into my life. In fact these children are the highlite and delight of each working day. There are always lots of smiles and laughter each time I visit.

We play so many games together when I am tidying up their toys, gardening, vacuuming and cleaning, each home and yard becomes a playground for 'Hide-n-Seek', 'I Spy', 'Batman and Spider Man' adventures and countless fun-filled moments, including of course re-plays of Ice Age 1 and 2 - if these happy times aren't reward enough, I actually get paid as well!!

Just prior to Christmas I suggested to two five and a half year old girls who had never met, to exchange Christmas greetings. I clean both their homes and have often told each girl about the other. I was so thrilled to see how spontaneously each embraced the idea, and how beautiful and colourful their creations were, particularly how excited each was to give and receive their hand-made offerings. Pieces of plain paper decorated with smiling stick-figure drawings of themselves and their brothers and sisters, cut-out and glued Christmas trees and stars all brightly coloured with their own pencilled names. I had as much, if not more joy in delivering their gifts as they did in making them, I really felt like Santa!

To add to this shared joy each child was waiting for me at the their front doors to again show me their cards when I returned to their homes after Christmas. The postiveness of their happiness was still as powerful weeks after the initial exchange, particularly after receiving so many Christmas presents from their parents.

All of my little friends soul's are so simple and natural in their joy, spontaneity and purity, all are such precious and unique examples of God's Love and Delight, I learn so much from their enthusiasm, each fills my heart with such freshness. For me, the simplicity of this open-hearted exchange of good will, that brought so much happiness to these two sweet-hearts is something that will forever remain with me.

The daily blessings these children bestow upon me are priceless, my experiences of the depths of the joy they bring, I believe is due to the simplification of my life through my regular meditations. Where else in this hectic world are we able to escape the complicated mind, to fully appreciate all that is wondrous in God's Creation, if not in the silence and depth of our own spiritual heart, where we can return again and again to experience the simplicity and joy of our own child-like nature.

Child's Joke - What did the two eyes say to each other? Just between you and me something smells!

See also: Aphorisms by Sri Chinmoy to bring hope, joy and inspiriation into ours and children's hearts.