How to Not Miss

Yesterday we seized the day and went outside in the warm weather for school and play. James and I ran to the creek to see the water. There was a plastic red dixie cup right in the middle of our stone throwing area. So, naturally, we decided to throw rocks and see if we could get them into the cup. James began to get frustrated after he missed many times. I told him, “Every time you miss, your body learns something about how to not miss.” He threw a few more times.

Then I said, “James, just imagine that the rock is going in when you throw it. Line up your arm with the cup and imagine that the rock is going in.”

Wouldn't you know that right after I said that, the very next rock he threw went right in the cup!

We looked at each other with shock, then smiles, then pure glee. I picked him up with a loud, “You did it!” and swung him around laughing. I hope I never forget the look of joy on his face.

For more than a year now, I've been trying to apply the principles of Leadership Education in my home, trying with every ounce of energy I have to attune myself to the true needs of my children and tap into the potential that each of their curiosities holds. I frequently feel that I've fallen short once again, placing a strain on our relationships that doesn't need to be there and passing up opportunities to really seize moments of joyful learning.

Every once in a while, though, we have a day where I choose to forget the list of plans I had hoped to accomplish with my children, and instead “go down a rabbit hole” with them. We veer so far off track that we actually start experiencing what it's like to really live. To really love knowledge and nature and all that God has created for us. To want to know about one another and to make something with our hands for the pure joy of it. To take the time to just see if we can get the rock in the cup or make someone smile.

I love those days. My heart soars at the end of them just like it did when James got the rock in. We learn more than I could have imagined possible. Some days, though, can be so discouraging, or at the very least, puzzling. Those are the days I am still holding on to my "conveyor belt" thinking, pushing knowledge on the kids that I think is important, but they don't really care about. Leadership Education is a major paradigm shift. The closer I come to embracing it, the more joy I find in life. I just need to remember that every day that I miss, I have an opportunity to learn something about how to not miss.