As I gazed out my office window today I observed two woman in the parking lot. Their body language and finger pointing suggested they were having a heated discussion. Each woman had a young girl with her about 4-5 years old. As the two woman in their early 30s carried on a less than friendly conversation these two little girls happily engaged with each other smiling, laughing, hugging, touching each other’s cold cheeks and sharing what one of them had in her pocket. They looked like long lost kinder spirits, it was very sweet.
As the conversation between the two women ended, each woman grabbed and hustled their child away grumbling what I imagine was unflattering commentary about the other woman and little girl.
Observing this scene got me thinking. Have you ever watched little kids engage with a new friend? They hug, they smile at one another, they giggle, they play, they kiss, they say I love you, they hold hands – there is a magical energy and genuine kinship between them, even if they have never met.
Love is our natural state, we are born “good”, we are born to love, to laugh, to be kind, be compassionate, to guide each other and we possess the gift to recognize each other as kindred soul friends that are sharing a path even if its only for a brief moment in time.
So why do we start to mistrust, dislike, disapprove, disassociate, hurt, judge and hate? Based on what I had just witnessed, and other observations throughout my life, its clear that we learn through watching and mimicking. We mirror behaviour because we think “this is how we’re supposed to act.”
We learn to fear people that are different than us, learn prejudice, racism, our sense of entitlement and learn other behaviours that class or judge people.
As a child I remember hugging, kissing and asking complete strangers to be my friend. I’m sure many of you were like that. In fact I think I met a few of you that way😊. Somewhere this natural expression of love gets suppressed.
I still see “familiar” strangers that I want to hug. But I don’t, because that would be fricking weird my friends and I’d likely get punched or even get arrested 😊. But, I still think about doing it. Many times I’ve been chatting with an elderly person and they will hold my hand, or hug me, or kiss my cheek, it’s as if their natural state to be loving returns.
Little kids and old folks, they’ve got “that loving feeling” going on. Oh man, what the hell happens to us between 4 and 92.
TO’K ~ 🌹❤️
Toni O’Keeffe ~ The Whimsey Angel
The Whimsey Angel 