Loving What Is: 3 Lessons I Learn from My Son Every Day

Summary

The author learns to appreciate the simple joys of home and the value of contentment, creativity, and relaxation through the example of their 11-year-old son.

Abstract

In the article "Loving What Is: 3 Lessons I Learn from My Son Every Day," the author reflects on the wisdom gained from their son's contentment with life at home. The son's lack of material desires and his joy in simple activities like swimming at a waterpark highlight the first lesson: to love what one has. The current period of social distancing has further emphasized the importance of cherishing and being creative with existing resources. The second lesson, inspired by the son's passion for his YouTube channel and art, is to love what one does, encouraging the author to embrace their creativity wholeheartedly. The third lesson is encapsulated in the son's frequent advice to "chill," promoting a stress-free approach to life and trust in one's ability to ask for help when needed. The author expresses gratitude for these lessons, which have become especially poignant during the lockdown, and invites readers to share the lessons they've learned from their loved ones.

Opinions

The author admires their son's contentment with what he has, seeing it as a spiritual teaching.
The son's rare requests for material possessions are seen as a powerful lesson in appreciating current circumstances.
The author finds joy in using pantry items creatively and in nurturing their garden, reflecting a newfound appreciation for home life.
The son's enthusiasm for his hobbies inspires the author to pursue their own creative endeavors with passion.
The author values the son's "chill" attitude as a reminder to not worry and to support each other's growth and independence.
The author expresses gratitude for the abundance in their life, including their back garden, and for the lessons learned from their son.

Loving What Is: 3 Lessons I Learn from My Son Every Day

My son is someone who absolutely loves to be at home. He rarely wants anything. He is so content and happy with what is. He truly is my spiritual teacher. I have learned that the more I let go, let him be and let him explore, the more he shines and the more I learn about life in turn. My son is now 11 and this summer he will turn 12. I just love his sweet, calm and as he calls it “chill” spirit.

I am someone who, before this time of social distancing loved to go out to coffee, to meals, to meet with friends, to throw parties. I love my home, but I was always wanting to go out and do things. During this time, we are called to stay at home except for getting essentials. This has been such a great learning time for me and a time to appreciate my son loving to be at home.

Here are three big lessons I have learned from my son and from this time of learning to appreciate and love my home for all that it is.

Lesson 1: Love What You Have:

The moments have been extremely rare when my son has asked to buy something, or really even wants anything other than what he already has. Every year we ask what he’d like for his birthday and most times he doesn’t have an answer. Last year we took him to a really fun indoor waterpark with lots of slides and a wave pool since he loves to swim. This was one of the best gifts for all of us because it allowed us to spend the day together and have lots of fun. We didn’t need much for that day other than to bring our swim gear and buy some entrance tickets. I love that my son loves what he has and that has been such a powerful lesson to carry with me right now.

During these times when we are not going out shopping except for occasional groceries and all non-essential shops are closed it has taught us to really love, cherish, use and be creative with what we have. I have gotten so excited when I find something in our pantry that I can use to make a delicious recipe. We are regrowing produce by rooting things such as green onions in glasses of water. I was excited to see what I had prepared years before in our emergency box at home. These are items we can now use if we need them. Instead of buying more plants and seeds, I am taking good care of the ones I have, planting all of the seeds I had stored away and taking the time to nurture our garden. I am enjoying the clothes I have right now, cherishing the one “new to me” dress I bought this year at a consignment shop right before the lockdown. I am especially grateful that we have a large back garden to enjoy. It’s been sunny the past few days and I have spent many hours per day out there, watering, fertilizing and weeding. I also take time to sit in the sun walk around the garden and smell all of the flowers. I am so grateful for all of the abundance that we have right now.

Lesson 2: Love What You Do: My sons’ enthusiasm for creating videos for his You Tube channel, drawing and coming up with fantastical characters is so inspirational. I just love his creativity and his willingness to put all of his work out there, no matter what the outcome. He’s not afraid to do what he loves to do. He puts his whole heart into whatever he does, and really goes for it. That is a big lesson for me. To go for it, to use my creativity, to use the gifts that the universe gave me in this world and to truly put them out there will all of my heart too. I love learning that every day with my son. He is my teacher and I am so thankful for that.

Lesson 3: Chill:

One of the things my son often says to me is “chill.” I think it’s one of the best ways to tell someone to love what is and to not worry. It’s such a great thing that he has taught me. It really is so much more profound when you think about it. Whenever I ask him too many questions, he says “chill.” He is really telling me that he’ll tell me if he needs something, or he will ask if he needs help. Otherwise, I can support him by letting him become who he is. For example, now that he is doing online schooling, I will sometimes check in on him, but I have learned the importance of stepping back and just letting him complete his work on his own. He is very capable and loves to get his work done so that he can work on other projects the rest of the day. That is the beauty of this time is that you can make more time to relax, to “chill.” Of course there is work to be done, and it will get done, but we can take much more time to do things that we truly love, or to just appreciate the day we have together.

I thank my son for the daily lessons he teaches me about loving what is. These are the most beautiful lessons of all.

What lessons have you learned from your children or from others in your household lately?

With lots of love,

Trista