I am grateful to have the perspective of viewing Life as a Great Teacher because I will forever feel like a student on the hunt for something more to learn. Wisdom and knowledge are like magnets that draw me forward toward a greater understanding of myself, my inner and outer world, which is what I deeply yearn to better know. I have learned that when I walk the Earth with an open mind and heart and humbly view myself as a student in the classroom of Life all while holding deep love, respect, and gratitude for Life as my Teacher, there is no limit to the vision of what I can see and learn. One of the greatest pieces of wisdom Life has taught me is that I have the power to see my inner world reflected back to me in the outer world since these worlds are intimately connected in ways I am still learning. More precisely, I have learned that what I choose to carry in my heart holds the potential to be reflected back to me in my outer world in the most surprising ways. The key to seeing the surprises is by going within oneself, where the greatest Teacher ultimately resides, to access powerful vision for seeing life in new and special ways. This special vision that we always have granted access to comes from our Heart. The story I am going to share in this post paints a beautiful picture of how my omnipresent Teacher taught me to know this priceless truth: What we choose to carry inside of us, in our heart, has the potential to be revealed to us as a beautiful reflection in our outer world.
I carry poems in my heart. One, in particular, is the poem my Grandpa Ralph wrote as he visited a pond on land he used to own many years ago. This pond and the land it is located on was near and dear to his heart as he had a great love for nature. My family and I became aware of this poem he wrote after he died which was his wish. My Grandpa shared this poem with only one person while he was alive and that person is the man, a dear friend, whom he sold this land with the pond to. After he died, this dear friend of his shared my Grandpa's poem with my family and it is now etched into his grave marker. It is a simple poem but it holds deeply beautiful meaning. According to my Grandpa's friend, my Grandpa had shared that this poem came to him as he was visiting the pond one day. This is very interesting to know because my Grandpa didn't seem like someone who would write a poem. It was a beautiful surprise. In my eyes, I view his poem as a gift that came to my Grandpa from his heart as he was enjoying solitude in nature.
Here is a picture of the pond that helped to inspire my Grandpa's poem. I had the pleasure of seeing the pond in person as well as meeting his dear friend who now owns the pond and the land where it's located.
And here is a picture of my Grandpa Ralph's gravestone...
I carry my Grandpa's poem in my heart because it holds deep meaning for me. It holds a simple yet profound message. I see it as a poem that paints a picture which shares the beauty and power of experiencing life and nature through our physical senses. Also, I see his poem as an embodiment of a sense, in and of itself, that goes beyond the five physical senses. After all, this poem came from his heart which is that place we all have inside of us that can sense something more...
Although I am aware that I carry my Grandpa's poem in my heart, it came as quite a surprise to me when I saw his poem reflected back to me in my outer world in a very surprising way in May 2016. My heart saw his poem's "reflection" as I was visiting one of my all-time favorite nature spots in my hometown of Sioux Falls, South Dakota: the Mary Jo Arboretum. On the beautiful day of May 31, 2016 I felt the pull to once again go for a walk in the arboretum. I had just been there the day before, but I desired to return not only because it's an amazingly beautiful place but also because I was very curious to know if I what I had seen the day before flying high in the sky were a flock of hawks or turkey vultures. My curiosity was so strong to know which bird it was because hawks hold deep meaning for me. I figured if I saw the birds again that I could focus on them more, capture video of them, to be better able to identify them. So, my curiosity led me back to the arboretum. However, on this day I did not get to see any hawks, but that is okay because I got to experience something more surprising...
Once I pulled into the parking lot of the arboretum I saw two or three yellow school buses parked in the lot. When I got out of my car I quickly realized that there was a children's field trip going on at the arboretum this day. I saw that they were walking around the area of the Formal Gardens, where I desired to go, but since I didn't want to disturb their field trip I decided to walk down the gravel road instead which leads to a lower section of the arboretum. As I was making my way down the gravel road, walking by the fenced in area of the Formal Gardens where the children's field trip was taking place, that's when the beauty of my Grandpa's poem was reflected back to me in the most surprising way, near the pond that resides at the arboretum. As I was walking, I just so happened to hear one of the teachers say rather loudly to her students, "Okay, now we are going to go down to the pond and I want you to pay attention to your senses. Tell me what you hear." When I heard the teacher say this to her students, all at once a wave of powerful feeling crashed over me and my Grandpa's poem arose inside of my heart. I could feel my Grandpa's presence and it felt as if I could hear my Grandpa reciting his poem, saying, "I heard the wind blow..."
(Picture of the pond, sponsored by the Museum of Visual Materials, located at the Mary Jo Arboretum)
I'm easily brought to tears when I go back into this memory because it touched my heart so deeply, beyond words. I know that what I had experienced was a synchronicity which was revealing a reflection of what I carry in my heart and in that moment I felt the powerful presence of my own inner Teacher and Student. My memory of this experience continues to teach me to open up even more to my senses, those that are physical and those that can sense beyond the physical realm from the place of recognition, my Heart.
(A sign located at the arboretum which holds a quote I carry in my heart...)
