The Art of Imperfection

Dear Daughter,

Today, the last day that Papa and you are spending together for your Fall Break, did not turn out the way I had planned, but better.

Unfortunately, because my car was not ready from the garage, we were not able to go on the day trip that Papa had planned. But, as we learn in life, we must learn to adapt, and often even better things come about unexpectedly.

So, instead, we did many activities together. We did puzzle games, played many games of Uno (including the longest and shorts games we have ever played!), painted your clay figures, made a sand painting Mandala, and then finally, Papa taught you how to paint ensõ circles that he had learned from Kaz.

You were very patient and attentive.

We learned that you have to let go of the ensõ once you do it, and not go back and try to "fix" it or make it "perfect." As you remembered Papa telling you, the perfection lies in the imperfection.

We did dozens of ensõ circles together, and this one we both thought was rather special that you did.

What a perfectly imperfect day with you.

I Love You,
Papa

Teamwork!

Dear Daughter,

Well, it took many hours of patience and teamwork over the course of three days after school, but we finally did it! We built the Eiffel Tower, and we thought that Big Ben was "big"!

I am so proud of how you helped Papa, or perhaps how Papa helped you to work on this project that was not easy and took a lot of patience. Both of us got a little frustrated at times and we had to stop for the day, or we had to figure out a different approach to make it work, but in the end, it was 100% teamwork that got us there.

On to the next piece of World Architecture, I wonder what it will be??

I Love you!
Papa

When The Target is Not the Goal

Dear Daughter,

When we were up in the mountains at the cabin, we shot arrows with your new bow. Remember last year when we were here and you were too small to shoot arrows and you learned how to be a patient quiver instead?

This year you are big enough and strong enough to pull the bow by yourself.

You began to get frustrated though because the arrows were not going as far as Papa's. However, I told you that the goal was not to hit the target, but to keep practicing and learn how to shoot. One day you will be hitting the target if you practice patiently.

Each time, your arrow went a bit further and you began to be able to load the arrow and steady yourself on your own. That, indeed was the Goal.

I Love You,
Papa

New Beginnings

Dear Daughter,
Papa started his Yoga classes yesterday with a nice woman named Rajeshwara. She has two sons who also both practice Yoga. Like Papa used to go to swim meets around America, her sons went to Yoga "competitions" to learn more about Yoga from others from all over India. We have started from the very beginning with the simplest poses, like Tadasana, or the Mountain Pose. When you have not been doing something like Yoga in life for a while, it is very important to start over with something from the simplest approach, even if you have once been very good at it. And, you must have patience. Remember that patience is a skill that will always serve you well.
I love You, Papa

Waiting for the Hummingbirds

This morning we put out the Hummingbird feeder at the cabin up in the mountains. None came for a while, but we waited patiently. Soon, the Hummingbirds began to appear. Later, we saw a black bear in the front yard, and still later, wild turkeys crossed the front of the house. Sometimes, with just sitting and being patient, the most unexpected things can happen.