It is test week time for our little boy at school. I’ll help him, since discipline in studying does not come easy at 9 years of age (or any age?). Lego and marbles, never mind the attraction of technology… so many distractors…

Observing myself and him has made me think. It is easy to become so focused on an outcome, a goal… narrow-minded and blinkered in the process, that we lose sight of the bigger picture. Is this not what we aspire to as we grow older? We get better at focusing as older students? Focus on the customer, or the bottom line – a mantra for business? Be like this or that person…

What happens to being me? Unique, special, as we all are? In the process of achieving we can lose sight and sense of what life is all about. I thought I might share this short poem, which spoke to me, and may speak to others:

The Archer

When an archer is shooting for nothing, he has all his skill.
If he shoots for a brass buckle, he is already nervous.
If he shoots for a prize of gold, he goes blind or sees two targets.
He is out of his mind!
His skill has not changed. But the prize divides him.
He cares. He thinks more of winning than of shooting.
And the need to win drains him of power.

Chuang Tzu

And so for me, to strike that balance between helping our little boy pass and achieve, and… well… being a little boy… being that archer, whose power lies in playing, discovering, exploring, connecting the synapses in his growing, plastic brain. If I remain aware, open my eyes, my heart, how much I can learn from this little boy!

How can you reconnect with your inner archer this week? Feel free to share…

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