First Steps – to an Open Heart

Picture this classic scene:  Two women sitting on the grass a couple of feet apart, facing each other.  One with her arms and hands outstretched to the 12-month-old(-ish) little boy who’s standing between the two of them.  The 2nd woman–almost like a puppeteer–provides a pair of outstretched fingers for his hands to grasp above his head to help him stay steady on his feet as he ponders taking tentative first steps toward the 1st woman.  Both woman offer a stream of encouraging and cajoling words.

That’s the scene I encountered while out on my morning walk through the neighborhood.

At that moment, I paused on the sidewalk, to offer respectful, wonder-filled, silent witness to the magical moment of “first steps” that seemed primed to occur.  As I stopped, the little boy turned toward me, with his feet still tentatively moving forward.  The women invited me into their space and shared moment by inviting him, “Oh, you want to go to her…..Go to her.”

So I turned, stepping from the sidewalk onto the grass with my own outstretched fingers as an invitation for him to consider.

And, much to all our surprise, he took a couple of determined steps forward to grab onto my fingers and stand triumpant while each of us cheered his accomplishment.

I stifled the urge to pick him up and snuggle him with grateful, loving kisses – and instead, turned him back to return him to the 1st woman.

In the meantime, I heard both women marvel at his apparent comfort in coming right to me.  As the 1st woman exclaimed, “He don’t LIKE people!” the three of us shared a knowing, between-us-women kind of chuckle.

A brief moment of wonder – concluded as quickly as it had begun.

I quietly turned to resume my walk — with a noticeably lighter step — as I began to ponder about those invisible, yet real, energetic qualities that others experience in our presence.

Something inside me seems to recognize and/or connect with something inside the other that says it’s safe (or not)–and vice versa.

Of course, it can become more complicated than that in real life.  For example, con artists take advantage of this connection to then take advantage of us.  Likewise, our own neediness can sometimes blind us to what’s unsafe in the other or the situation in which we find ourselves.

Learning to nurture an open, yet discerning heart space is one of the fundamental skills I teach in Focused Self-Care.

I’ll also be addressing this topic in my upcoming free teleclass:  Resolved to Change:  Align Head and Heart.  I’d love to have you join us!

In the meantime, I’d love to hear your comments and feedback!