Today , in the early morning, I took a long walk, on Mount Tamalpais in Marin. The rain had stopped. The world glistened with the wetness of the rain fall and babbled with the sound of gushing streams; I savoured the smell of sage brush , eucalyptus and bay trees, and the warmth of the sunshine. My body felt relaxed and energized by the movement of walking. What a delight! What a Blessing To have my senses bathed in such pleasant sensations!
And then I thought of my daughter. I wondered what it had been like for her to be wrenched away from all that was familiar in her secure sensory world when I adopted her.
I thought of her aptitude to be curious and her resilience to adapt to so much that was strange and unfamiliar. New smells, new sights, new tastes in food, new sounds, new language and new caucasian 'amma"! (she called me amma (caretaker) for 3 months until she learned what 'mother' meant). No wonder she had difficulty sleeping at first!
I remember how I would comfort and sooth her by massaging her face and head and back and lie her on my chest and whisper a few phrases I had learned in Chinese like 'go to sleep' ;'you are safe'; ' you are OK', and I would sing to her. I remember feeling grateful to have learned those few phrases and the massage techniques when she finally fell asleep at 12.00 at night! She is still a night owl and loves massage and I am a lark who particularly likes early morning walks to sooth my mind and body.
No comments:
Post a Comment