Unorthodox Wisdom

Listening in a different language

Part of my job as a mother is to help our boys learn how to circumnavigate me when necessary. Sometimes, with the best of intentions, I fail to give them what they need.

The have a kick-ass dad and wonderful extended family but sometimes what any of us really need cannot be given by another human. We all come pre-loaded with a canvas of opinions, insecurities and agendas.

Even when we try valiantly to be stone cold objective.

Fortunately for them, they have a series of back-up guidance.

Always available. Always patient. And always able to give them exactly what they need, these mothers are made up of spirits.

From people and animals they have known and loved to nature in all its many forms.

This may sound flighty, intangible and, well, crazy.

And it is… a flight of faith as intangible and crazy as love.

If faith makes you queasy and love boils down to an irresistible cocktail of chemicals, you’d best stop reading here.

If, on the other hand, you are curious, maybe skeptical but open-minded, I’d like to share a few big-small experiences.

Big-small is a good description of their impact.

The messages often appear small because they are not delivered from a pulpit or a corner office. In fact they are not even delivered out loud. Certainly there is no drama or pomp and circumstance.

No bright lights, alleluia chorus or follow-up or action list.

Ironically, the way in is often comical.

My mom, who passed away several years ago, now likes to get my attention by having me run into things, literaly, at the gym. She does this when I have not dedicated quiet time to listening for her advice.

She helps me through both emotional and extremely practical problems.

Here’s a practical example.

I hit my knee rather hard coming out of the restroom to go into a Tabata class. I could feel her energy and she said, “Be careful. You cannot see what is right around the corner.”

I asked her while limping through my class what she meant. I sensed our house. I asked her a series of questions about different possible issues. No, no, no and no I head back.

Finally she said, Ask Joe. You do not know. Only he will.

This isn’t going to cost us money is it? I asked. I thought I heard her say yes and no. Bit she corrected very slowly (which she does for extreme emphasis) NO and yes. Meaning if you figure it out no, if not YES.

I mentioned this to Joe, who believes in all this. He could not figure out what it would be regarding.

Two hours later he called me back breathless.

Kelly, he said appalled, amazed and extremely grateful, I called the bank to double check we were clear on all our taxes and she said they never received the form I sent regarding including our property taxes in our mortagage.

We are on a payment plan now. But if we had not caught this for another six months it seriously could have bankrupted us.

We thanked her.

An example on the emotional side.

I was walking past a series of treadmills and got too close to one someone was running on. It friction burned skin off my calf. It hurt.

I said, Okay I’m listening, looking up and not even that irritated because her advice is always worth whatever it takes to get my attention and be offered as a metaphor.

If you stand too close to what is spinning out of control, you will get hurt.

This related to a few people id been trying to help but felt thwarted at every turn and exhausted by my failed efforts.

It happens in all different ways.

To Joe, she comes in dreams and sixth senses about things. And once, he literally heard her shout his name and it jolted him into slowing down and saving him from a head-on collision.

The trick is learning how to listen differently.

Finn’s feels more like he receives osmosis style through his cellular being.

Leo and I hear her voice, her words, her phrasings. And it is obvious because what she says are not things we could even think up.

It seems silly we’d assume universal intelligence could only be perceived by our five human senses?

It is vast and clever with a fierce sense of humor and love.