The rain stopped. The skies opened up, and then the next thing I knew the sun was out, the birds were back at the feeders, and the lighting was so warm and beautiful and peaceful. I stopped. I allowed myself a moment to take a break from thinking about the list of things I need to accomplish today. It was a "peak" moment in my day.
I've been thinking about my four children, and have become very aware of giving them space along with my strong faith that they will find their way in life. I respect them greatly. They are all transitioning, three of them out of college, with one building a career for herself in the culinary world, another supporting himself on the west coast, questioning and searching and exploring new possibilities, and my most recently graduated from college, out in Boulder, working for MMLocal, a farm to market food company. My youngest, after taking a year off and doing a fall semester with Kroka expeditions, and then an internship in New Zealand is a freshman in college and seems enthusiastic and engaged. So I will focus on my life, and resist the temptation to call them.
They are adults now, and like the weather, one moment it may be raining and the next filled with sunshine. Maslow says that the closer we get to self actualiazation, the more "peaks" we experience. They confirm the realizations we have of our full potential. I hope, by living my own values and respecting my childrens' individuality, they will continue to seek knowledge and meaning and appreciation for all the beauty in themselves and this world.
I recently discovered the blog of a Norwegian man named Bjarte Bakke, and I have shared two of his posts with my children: The four most important things in life, and The hidden secret of outstanding performance: Learn how to think. They have opened up good conversations. The TED talk that he posts by Meg Jay on why 30 is not the new 20 is very worthwhile listening to.
I hope we can all experience more peaks in our lives.