Are the Ants Biting?
Every morning, I go for a walk in nature with my little dog, Shanti.
This is my time to ground, to drink in nature, to set the tone of the day, and serves as reminder to the bigger picture in my life.
Especially after rain, I love finding deer and porcupine tracks, and if I’m fortunate, brown hyena or honey badger footprints. I love the dew drops lighting up in a myriad of rainbow colours glistening in the sun. I’m surrounded by birds and butterflies and all the beauty this piece of nature gifts me with.
I overlook the gorgeous valley nestled at the foot of the majestic mountain of barren rock formations and deep, tree-filled gorges. This exquisite view gives me the bigger perspective, the dreams and visions of life, the future…
Yet, there’s one part of my dirt road, where large black ants have claimed their space.
Particularly when it’s warm, these ants are very busy … and everywhere! Very difficult to dodge, they force me to bolt through to safety, lest I want to be nabbed at the feet.
This is annoying, as it forces me to look down and forget the beautiful scenery. It demands my attention and focus. Inevitably, they end up biting, and Shanti and I dash down the road toward peace.
Isn’t this a great analogy for our daily lives? We have, with all good intentions, our eye on the big picture, the end goal, our values, how we want to parent, that which we want to equip our children with, and how and who we want to be as parents.
Then, a myriad of unplanned and planned matters demand our attention, our focus, and our time.
We end up being lured away from the big picture, the intent, and tend to things that are at hand.
We get so drawn in, so busy, stretched, and maybe stressed, that we slip off our foundation and loose sight of our good intentions. We default back to old programs, fight-or-flight responses, sometimes emotional reactions, whilst dashing forward to make it all happen in a day.
One morning I decided to do an experiment on my walk. I chose to keep focusing on the mountain, the beauty, the big picture. I walked hastily, yet, low and behold, not a single ant bit me.
I realised that keeping the focus on the bigger picture is an ATTITUDE, not depending on circumstance!
I have a choice of whether to deal with my days whilst looking at the bigger picture or get sucked into the dramas of daily to-do’s.
Can we change our attitudes towards the ants of life?
Can we stand solidly on our foundation and the bigger picture?
Can we stay focused, and allow the rest to fall in place?
We’ll need to take a stand with ourselves, change the attitudes, and allow no situation, task, or circumstance to steal our peace or original intent. Yes, it’s like turning a massive oil tanker on the ocean, yet that is what it takes to raise our children differently. One step, one day, one attitude at a time.
You can do this!
Join our Tribe of awesome parents and stay focused on what’s most important. I’d love to meet you there.
