A week or so ago, I ended up with a bunch of kids in a pool. Here in Hawai'i, if you're a child's elder, you're their "uncle" or "aunty," so as I swam around with them in a man-made grotto, I was immersed in the resounding shrieks of my new name:
"Aunty Kama! Aunty Kama!"
It made my heart sing. I've always loved kids. I love their playfulness, I love their innocence, I love their trust and purity. As I toted around a little girl in floaties, another learning to swim and two cute little boys, I pondered how to relate more deeply to them. What made my childhood special? I thought as their newfound aunty. How could I offer some of that to them?
Here's what I landed on:
1. Lots of Laughter.
Jokes were a love language in my house. We loved to poke fun. We loved to be silly. We loved to play. From dressing up pets to making up hypothetical scenarios to wrestling on the couch and antagonizing each other, I remember a lot of giggles and eruptive cackles within the walls of our home. Fun was a priority even amidst any chaos. My memories make me laugh which tells me: we laughed a lot.
2. Nature-Centric.
Instead of sitting around and watching TV (which we did on occasion), we'd finish dinner together and sit outside - wherever we were. We'd sit on the deck and look at the silhouettes of trees, discussing which characters we saw. We'd watch the fog roll in over the mountain and feel the temperature cooling on our skin. We'd crane our necks to the sky and drink the raindrops. We'd pick fresh fruit from all the branches and herbs from my mom's garden. Sometimes, we'd just stare into the abyss, breathing, being still. My dad told me this was the fountain of youth. I don't know that I won't ever age, but I know that these moments have been and forever will be soul-food and rejuvenation.
3. Diverse Ages.
I grew up on the road with my family and oftentimes enjoyed the company of their friends, business partners, etc. I was among other kids, but we covered a span of ages and interests, making my common-connecting-point muscle extra strong. I'm grateful to have been able to find community and relation with so many different people at so many different points in their lives. I feel it only enriched my childhood through its diversity.
4. Music and Dancing.
My dad was usually playing guitar, and when he wasn't, my mom was playing music. After dinner, we'd dance and sometimes sing. We'd mess around with instruments, be a xylophone or a keyboard. Ironically, I don't play anything, but I will always love to dance. It will always remind me of nights at home between the dining room and the kitchen, where we all felt free.
5. Storytelling.
My mom read to me in bed nightly and my dad made up stories as I sat in his lap outside nightly. My childhood was full of creative tales. It expanded my imagination, taught me virtues, and bonded us. Stories, after all, are fundamental to being human. I can still hear the echoes of the words my parents narrated now.
If you have littles in your life, allow this list to inspire you to create your own. What made your childhood magical? And how can you bring that into the lives of the new generation? How can you take the stress off and come back to basics? Above everything else, be present. Your presence creates safety, love and bond. It also allows for your intuition to show you how to water the life of this little seed before you.
If you need more help with presence and cultivating connection and joy, reach me for a free 20-minute consultation. Let's see what we can do to enrich your life, and as a result, the lives of others.
