Eyes Half Shut

Out of the darkness of a deep sleep and a 4th floor condo, which overlooked the beaches of a West Palm Florida, my oldest son, age 12, and I walked down the bright lit hallway with our eyes half shut.

Early as it was, it was the last morning of a wonderful vacation and we were determined to watch a spectacular sunrise. We made our way through the resort, out the backside of the pool area, and down a 50 yard boardwalk to the beach.

We picked out two beach chairs, laid out our towels and settled into the darkness staring out at the Atlantic Ocean - our eyes half shut. We were two of a handful of early risers, out to witness the beginning of a new day. There were no bad seats at this event!

The sky began to change from black to various shades of reds, pinks, oranges and then blues. The rhythm of the ocean waves rocked us into nature's majestic rhythmic beauty. The birds above sang a beautiful melody.

As the sun began to slowly lift itself above the horizon, I said to my son "Look, you can see the sun beginning to rise." He quickly said back to me "Yes I see it Dad, but the sun is not rising. The sun is stationary; it is the earth rotating which makes it look as if the sun is rising."

A TRUTH!

One of the goals of my writing has not only been to educate, but also meant to inspire growth. To grow as an individual requires us to change, and as I have learned through my life and my work (both joyfully & painfully), this is where the true challenge lies for all of us. This challenge disappears though, if we are clearly able to see and embrace, Truth.

For us to grow as parents, we must see Truth. For us to grow as a family, we must see Truth. For us to grow as students, we must see Truth. For us to grow as teachers, we must see Truth. For us to grow as a community, we must see Truth. For us to grow as a world, we must see Truth. For us to grow as a person, we must see Truth.

We ALL are living during the most dynamically changing transformational time in history. For us to grow we are going to have to change. To change we must take a close look at the paradigms (our understandings, our mind-sets, our beliefs) that we hold - some near and dear to us.

Some of what we have understood, our paradigms, may be wrong. Consider aspects of the world we have created. Other paradigms we hold may not necessarily be wrong, just incomplete. It is time to create, to expand, to explore and to embrace new paradigms. New paradigms and new understandings that will serve us, our families, our schools, our communities and the world, better.

Some will receive this as a "breath of fresh air", others as "hot air" or an uncomfortable agitation - depending on YOUR VIEWPOINT.

Yes, the earth spins on it's axis at over 1,000 mph, hurtling through space at over 67,000 mph, with us stuck to it by a gravity type super glue! For things are not always as they seem. Our logic would tell us that we should go flying off this big rock called earth, but we do not. This gives us a so called "sunrise" every 24 hours, the beginning of a new day. Each of us at any moment, can CHOOSE to "open our eyes, heart and mind and begin a New Day!" Shifting and/or expanding our paradigms, beliefs and our lives in a new direction for ourselves, our families, our community and the world.