In very roughly translated paraphrasing from ‘The ArtWhisperer’, “Everything you do needs to come from the heart.”
The past few days we were involved in a Creative Arts Campwith the children at the home. It was an interesting mix of fun and games,intense meditation leading into spurts of heartfelt art forms and even creatingmusical instruments!
Live Different sponsored the camp and, as part of ourcontribution, we helped the kids with sketchbooks, which were used to expressthemselves and share their stories.
One little boy I’ve spent a considerable amount of time withthese past few days is the most affectionate and enjoys the simple things—justa cuddle, holding onto your arm and sitting together. One of our amazing translators,Pim, was sitting with this little boy as we the children were working on theirsketchbooks. I asked her to translate and share with me about what he hadcreated and considered note worthy enough to save in his sketchbook….
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| Working on his sketchbook. |
We had the kids write down a few specific things in theirbooks—since the book was intended to be all about them we wanted them to sharetheir name and age, some of their happiest memories or stories, and to writeand draw pictures of what they want to be when they grow up. On top of thesefew specifics, they could put anything they desired into the sketchbook. Thisspecial little guy is 10 years old but hasn’t attended school, which means hedoesn’t know how to read or write yet. Pim was asking him questions and whilehe was responding, she would write down his answers. Some of his happiestmemories are of fishing, shooting birds, and hanging out with friends. Hisdream of what he wants to be when he grows up—he wants to build houses.
It’s interesting to think of what the future will hold forthis little boy. At 10 he hasn’t yet been to school, but still dreams so big.At the home, the children are instilled with such value, such immense worth inwho they are, and that no dream is unattainable to them. Their peers encouragethem, the staff does as well, and no one they spend time with looks down onthem for their current skill set or current amount of education. Each child hasthe world in the palm of their hands and knows that they can be anything theywant to be. I think about back in Canada and the amount of anti-bullyingcampaigns that exist. To know peers are picking on each other, devaluing oneanother, treating each other like garbage, is mind-boggling. No wonder thereare people out there who have no drive to succeed—they have been told theirentire lives they can’t. At the home with Kru Nam, the kids are being told theycan from the moment they come into the home. They are being encouraged by thosearound them, lifted up instead of kicked down, and they are thriving. They aresucceeding, they are dreaming.
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| Oil pastels and pencil crayons make for lovely sketchbooks. |
Everyone defines success differently. When I look at the childrenand the work Kru Nam and her staff are doing, I think we can easily definesuccess as doing the right thing in every situation and doing those rightthings, not with a feeling of ‘Ugh, I HAVE to do this’ or resentment, but doingthese things with a sense of love and compassion for those around them. When everything is done from the heart, youare bound to succeed because your success comes from the joy of seeing thosearound you succeed. When you help others reach their dreams and goals, you arebeing lifted up and positioned to reach yours as well. Just image, he wants tobuild houses. Perhaps his dream is just one piece of the puzzle connecting himwith the other children in the home to also live out their dreams.
While this message of living life from the heart may bedifficult for some to grasp, the children in the home understand it more thananyone else and are a shining example in all they do to the truth of thesentiment. Living life with your heart in the lead means you will succeed,because a life lived out of love cannot fail.
