soul

children, culture, life, lifepurpose, moments, play, relationships, soul, therapy

The Little Things

Gallery | Posted on by Jill Telford

Photo by Efigie lima Marcos on Pexels.com

What were the little things you carried in your pockets before the world made you empty them? Mine literally were rocks and dandelions. I would marvel at a rock as I found it fascinating. I loved and still enjoy collecting rocks. Ultimately, it’s not about the things you buy, it’s about the experiences you have. The moments made into memories. It’s about the little things you care about. Perhaps it keeps you up at night or wakes you up really early in the morning. Perhaps it sits with you for awhile mid-afternoon while you have your tea. It calls out to you. It knows your name without ever having to say it.

When is the last time you noticed or discovered that little thing you care about? When you saw or realized it did you marvel and sit with it for awhile? Were you present in the moment with it? When is the last time you did something about it? No expectations. Not because you have to but because you want to. Not following steps walking into “adulthood” but into “yourself hood” When will you follow your calling? Your own footsteps, left foot, right foot one in front of the other? Not for money but for your soul. Those are the kinds of things that are worth carrying in your pocket. Noticing and fulfilling the little things that you care about are victories.

I remember a little thing. A student of mine wanted to take a worm back to the classroom. So, he put some dirt in his pocket. Then he put the earthworm in his pocket. He carefully sprinkled a bit more dirt on top of the worm in his pocket as well so the worm in his own words would have a home. Think of the care and careful consideration he took to look out for the worm as he fulfilled his mission of bringing it back into our classroom.

If I had interrupted this play and told him to empty his pockets and that a pocket is no place for an earthworm even to transport it then we would have missed out on all of the learning with earthworms, anatomy and how to care for them and how they care for our Earth creating nutrients for plants and other organisms. It started with one worm and turned into so much more.

A worm. A single worm created a moment which created a memory and is in the process of possibly creating an entomologist. We all have an inner child, an inner soul. Nurture it. Nurture the little thing you love and yearn for whether it’s an ant or the sky. You are drawn to it for a reason. When someone asks you why are you “fixated” or “stuck” on something. Ask them, why not? Keep your wonder and your fascination especially in a world that is “stuck” and “fixated” on being busy and moving onto something else before really getting to know and work with what it started with to begin with. Studying and observing earthworms doesn’t take a week or month. For example, Darwin studied earthworms for forty years.

What were the little things you carried in your pockets before the world made you empty them?

Four decades Darwin hung out and observed the worms. So take your time with your passion and purpose, on purpose. The little thing you care about. The little thing that keeps knocking on your brain and on your heart: your soul. It’s worth it. Nurture it, care for it and be there with it for awhile. Sit with it. Walk with it. Crawl with it. Do whatever it is you have to do to be with it for awhile. Keep it safe, give it a home. Put it in your pocket. Take a decade or two or three or four or even more with it. Slow down and move with it in a world that wants to move onto the next thing. It warms. It cools. It warms. It cools. Stay with it for awhile. Savor it like the last bite. In fact, save the best bite for last.

So what is it and what will you do with it?

Ps. Here is a book entitled Finding Me by Viola Davis that may encourage you to dig a little deeper than the earthworms.

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education, earlyed, behavior, development, children, family, help

Show and Share: A Soul Story

Gallery | Posted on by Jill Telford

Show me your friends and I’ll show you your soul. Who are you surrounded by? How are you feeling? Are you inspired? Are you drained? Are you anxious? Are people talking about ideas or about other people? That is the question. And, when people answer…when people show you who they are, believe them. No judgment. Accept it but don’t you ever settle.

Our life’s work is what and where we go each and every day. Most of all, it is who we spend the most time with. I am grateful to be an educator and life long learner. It is a major part of who I am. We are in a constant process of becoming. Constant change. Each morning is a new morning and a new day. I yawn. I wake up. I stretch. I meditate. I breathe. I remember who I was, who I am and who I am in a process of becoming. I get to see who children were, are and are in a process of becoming. I get to see who families were, are and in a process of becoming.

I learned a lesson, a major valuable lesson this year during the Coronavirus. If you don’t like something, say it even if your voice trembles. Speak up even as old trauma reopens because you’ve been triggered by someone’s behavior. Always stand up for those who are not present in the room even when you’re afraid to. Follow your gut. Your instinct. It will never ever steer you wrong. Ever. We are always in a process of becoming never reaching the final product. Movement is life.

I am thankful. I am grateful for all that I have experienced. I learned a lot and will continue to. I forgive but I don’t forget. I use it to propel even further holding hands of others on the same route.

Healing from Trauma:

  1. Time: Give yourself time and hugs
  2. Journal: Write a lot
  3. Journal: Create an art journal *Bonus: Paint some canvases/cardboard and give it away!
  4. Write a letter *your choice to send it or not*
  5. Reach out to those who care about you
  6. No need to respond to toxicity: Let it go, let it go, let it goooo!
  7. Cut out negative+toxic relationships
  8. Stop making excuses for people and hold them accountable. If they don’t change. You leave. Let it Burn as Usher would say lol

education, earlyed, behavior, development, children, family, help

My Rock

Gallery | Posted on by Jill Telford

So there was this little girl and she found a rock.

She held it in her hands like in a clasped hug. She loved this rock. She thought she found Gold and in a way she did. Well, she goes to her dad and said look you won’t believe what I found. She opened her hand and her dad was like oh you found a stone. That’s cool. Listen love, see how much you can get for it.

She said, DAD but it’s just a rock. No one WILL BUY a rock. Her Dad said just promise me you’ll try and when someone makes you an offer tell me. She looked back and said ok. She walked out of the house and into the street.

The first person she saw she showed them this rock and said, hey excuse me sir I got this rock and uh are you interested in purchasing it? The man looked at her and peeked in at the rock, shrugged his shoulders and said, I’ll give you $5.00. Her eyes went wide and said really? You’ll pay me for this rock. He said yea. She said ok hold on let me tell my dad.

She runs back to her dad. Tells him and he responds oh, ok keep walking and ask someone else. She said, BUT DAD he’s giving me 5.00 for a rock!!!

He said walk on. Get another offer.

So she did and the next person was inside of a pawn shop. She walked right in there and was like excuse me Ma’m I got this rock and I want to see how much it’s worth? The women peered over the counter took the rock out of the little girl’s hand. Looked at it and weighed it. She said I’ll give you 50.00 for it. The little girl was shocked!

She ran out the store told her dad and he said walk on.

The little girl said BUT DAD this lady’s giving me 50.00!! Her Dad said walk on and ask someone else. So she did. She walked into a museum right, a Stone Museum. This special stone place filled with rocks! She walked right in there, head held all high and said hey excuse me everyone, I have a “stone” and I want to see how much it’s worth. Well, the museum people carefully looked at this little girl, took the stone out of the little girls hands with gloves inspected it carefully, like real carefully. A gentlemen came over, and put even put on these special glasses and carefully chiseled a bit away on this rock/stone. You could tell these guys we serious about some stones. They were stone collectors and they genuinely loved rocks and all that. So, they started asking her a lot of questions of where she found it, how she cared for it, what it’s name was, who it belongs to, when she found it, why it was special to her. She thought about the last question a lot. She thought about how she felt when she first found it before telling her dad and before him asking her to get money for it. And she said well when I first saw it—it was the most different, the most original stone I ever found, that I ever saw before. I never seen a stone like it in my life. And, well, I held it like I’d never find another one like it. I cleaned it — I carried it and protected it.

They started asking her more questions about her stone.

The whole time they wrote down everything. After their conversation they placed this stone next to another stone in a special case. They walked around and admired it. They said look how it stands out in this case! They looked at the little girl and said give us a few moments we need to deliberate on this. We are speechless. After several HOURS — the stone collectors returned and asked how much do YOU want for it? What will be your highest and lowest that you’d take for it? The little girl again was in shock. She said hold on. She said can I have my stone back? I need to go talk to my Dad about this! They said okay.

They wrapped the stone in special silk and handed it to the little girl. The little girl held it. Clasped it. She ran to her Dad.

She said DAD the museum people — the stone collectors—you won’t believe this! — they asked ME how much it’s worth?!!

Her Dad smiled. He asked her, well how much? Cause that’s what matters most.

— What matters most is how much you think it’s worth before you even showed me it. Nobody else. Never settle. ((You know how much she got for that stone? Mannnn, amazing!))