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Nigel Holloway's avatar

Thanks for your latest PP – you hit exactly the right note.

The best thing for me and, perhaps, for you, is the joy of living in the present. Children have very little past and are at ease in the present. When we, by contrast, play with our grandchildren, we must first take off the very heavy backpack of worry and work, and become engrossed in the world our little ones have created and generously made space for us.

Thinking about the past – and the future - might make us happy or content, but rarely joyful.

The point at which the infinite past meets the infinite future is where joy and delight are sparked – and children lead us into that special moment.

It is especially poignant in our era, because this special form of presence occurs in an analog world. To evoke that special feeling we must leave our mobile phones in a place we cannot easily reach. Then, all we have is our, and our little children’s, presence. This is all that’s needed.

Then, consider giving the same level of attentiveness to adults. To do so, listen with your heart as well as your mind.

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The 435's avatar

It's not just you. Here's an article based on survey data showing dozens of activities and the extent to which people love and hate doing them. Playing with children is right up at the top.

https://x.com/robertwiblin/status/1807764346442850680?t=5xnUmJC_WZytqKBhWgPMsw&s=19

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