September 16, 2010

Guru in Training

I'm one of those people who cracks herself up on a regular basis. I have a hard time amusing other people, unless it's because they're laughing at me, but I do a fine job of entertaining myself.  I'm also the kind of person who reads self-help books, in my continual quest for a perfect life.  Or a quieter brain.

I'm reading The Power of Now, by Eckhart Tolle.  It's all about spiritual enlightenment, how to live in the moment, how to get out of your crazy head when your life is spinning in circles, you know, that kind of thing.

Jack comes in last night while I'm reading and he's bouncing off the walls in ecstasy over the new bat his Dad just bought him. He tells me seven times what brand it is and how much it weighs and how much it costs and why it's different from and better than all other bats in the world. He's hopping around next to my bed, making pretend swings with it, way too close to my head, with this beaming grin on his face the entire time.

I'm laughing at how happy he is over a baseball bat, thinking how lucky he is to be in that most simple of times in life, and how fortunate he is to be a person who sees good and light in everything around him.  I tell him,

"I love you.  You'll never have to read this book I'm reading."

"Why? What's it about?"

Uh, well...how do you explain Tolle to a 12 year old whose biggest worry is whether or not the team will be impressed with his bat?

"Oh," I say, casually waving the book away with my hand, "it's just about ... how to be happy."

He busts out laughing and raises his eyebrows.

"Seriously? You're reading a book about how to be happy?"

I sort of nod, wishing it didn't sound so stupid. He shrugs and says,

"You seem pretty happy to me. I mean, you laugh at everything you say."

Touche.

3 comments:

  1. THIS made me happy! What a great kid! And you make me laugh all the time and I'm not even in the same time zone as you!

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