Cherish-Relish #8: Seeing my daughter having fun and making friends at a new camp

Today was H’s first day of her 4th camp this summer. This week, she goes to a soccer camp. Being only 5 years old, she belongs to the youngest age-group in this camp and after I said goodbye to her at the drop-off area, I wanted to make sure she was fine in a completely new setting and with people she hardly knew. So I “spied” on her during her first minutes at this camp without her knowing she was being watched.

I saw her happily practicing with a soccer ball, already having made friends with a girl in blue roughly her age. She didn’t look at all like she was shy and intimidated. I drove away knowing she would have a great day. And she did!

A big part of a parent’s job, I guess, is to expose one’s children to the wider world in stages and help them to “fly on their own.” When you see your child doing that, there is a happy feeling that springs up in your heart. I cherish and relish it. This is a gift my parents and guardians gave to me with love; this is the same precious gift I want to give my daughter!

Cherish-Relish #7: When your Passion is your Job, Your Job Energizes!

Yesterday, I spent the whole day at the office working … yeah right, working? Technically, I was (am) preparing for a new course I’m set to teach in the Winter Semester of 2014 entitled ‘Spiritual Quests and Popular Culture’. I wanted to entitle it ‘The Gospel according to Harry Potter’, but that title was turned down by the powers-that-be. Whatever … the course is still mainly about Harry Potter (Oh yes, I’m a fervent Harry Potter aficionado) and it has a couple of simple main ideas: Harry Potter is a Jesus-figure; the Harry Potter saga is an excellent lens through which we can understand Christianity and ‘the Way’ that Christianity proposes. So, yesterday, I was examining different aspects of the long Potter saga and trying to figure out what I should emphasize in the course to the students.

I was thinking about this in the evening and it struck me that it just happens that, in my case, my passion is my job. My passion? Examining the ways in which religion-spirituality-the idea of God-the Bible-Jesus-Christianity-Catholicism, etc. began and have developed in history and how they are still relevant to humans today. My job? As a university professor, first, research-study-writing about my passion; second, sharing-teaching my passion to the students. Yes, I get paid to do this. Oh sure, there are aspects of the job that tire me out … such as long meetings, grading, etc., but the main tasks I have in the job (what I wrote above) are things that I am deeply passionate about, that I could immerse myself in and not get tired but rather energized. I cherish and relish this; I am deeply grateful that I earn my living by pursuing something I’m passionate about.

Of course, I know that this is not the case with many, many people and I empathize with all who find their work draining or even dreadful. I wish and pray that everyone could still find meaning in what they do for a living and to bring the spirit of mindfulness to the workplace. In connection with this, let me share the following. In my first year teaching here in Canada, on a particularly tiresome day, a friend of mine asked me how I was and I said, “busy and quite tired.” His reply was, “Be thankful you’re busy and can get tired because of this. That means you have a job. Many people don’t have one.” The truth of his remark really struck me deeply. I cannot agree more and recall that time when I was worried about my future, about whether I could secure a job as a new immigrant in Canada who faced countless odds. 

In the end, it is gratefulness … THANKS-ARIGATO-SALAMAT!

Cherish-Relish #6: Meeting Up with Friends You Haven’t Seen in Ages

It’s so nice to meet up with friends whom you haven’t seen for a long, long time. These moments of fellowship help to make me aware that my life, that I, that we have been blessed with so many friendships along the way - friendships that have enriched us and made us learn so many things, friendships that have helped us in times of joy and sorrow, friendships that make life happier.

Last week, we had such moments with H's godmothers at Canada’s Wonderland and then we were also so happy to have very close friends from Toronto visit us over the weekend here in London. We felt so happy to be with them, go out to the beach with them, engage in conversation, exchange jokes, laugh together, vent our frustrations, share problems, etc. These are what friends are for! How sad life would be if you didn’t have friends like these. … I cherish and relish our friends and our friendships!

Some friends leave us at a certain point for one reason or another. In Facebook parlance, they “unfriend” us or we “unfriend” them. I will just do my best so that these “unfriendings” are not caused by me, by us directly and intentionally. Whatever the case may be, we shouldn’t forget that our “former” friends are still part of our over-all life experience. We entrust them to the divine and wish them well. We continue to treasure though the true friendships that we may have shared in the past, no matter if that no longer continues in the present.

Cherish-Relish #5: When your 5-year-old wants you to play with her non-stop

As parents with small kids know well, the summer holidays when kids don’t go to school can be quite an intense time because the kids are there needing attention 24/7 on some days.

Today, the third day of our August long weekend here in Canada, I spent a lot of time with our five-year-old - playing, watching TV, teaching her new games, talking, drawing, writing, etc... Sometimes, parents in the same situation feel like we need and want some more time for ourselves.

In such moments, I remind myself that having a child that wants us to play with them is actually a wonderful gift to be treasured and guarded jealously as long as it lasts. There is that stage in our young children’s lives when they constantly want and need us. When that stage is over, they will eventually like to venture out on their own and put a distance between them and us. When that time comes, it’ll be us who will give anything we can in order to get their attention. When I think of that, I want to tell my daughter, “Don’t grow up too fast!” (I actually often tell her that!) Meanwhile, I come back to the present and look mindfully and lovingly at the very energetic five-year-old who wants me to play with her non-stop. I know that this present moment is priceless. I cherish and relish it!