The Consciousness of Now

June 26, 2022

This week’s blog post comes from author and early childhood educator, Judy Frizlen.

I love spending time with my twenty-one-month-old grandson. It is fascinating to watch him learn and grow. It is also amazing to experience what happens when we meet in the consciousness of now.

When we are cooking, eating, washing dishes, cleaning, changing diapers, gardening, or going for a walk, that is just what we are doing. Nothing more and nothing less.

The consciousness of now envelops us in its nourishing bubble. It is light, transparent and magical. Can you picture it?

When the toddler enters my presence, we align in this bubble. He knows the rhythms in our home, so we both relax into activities, unburdened by decision-making. He giggles with delight when experiencing the familiar and I giggle along with him. How could I not?

For example, after lunch, when we go upstairs to nap, we pull down the shades to darken the room. He points at the same things on the shelf each time with exclamations of joy. When we settle into the rocking chair for snuggling, he giggles when I hum one of his favorite songs like “baa baa black sheep” before drifting off to sleep.

I lay him down and sometimes watch him slumber before getting on with quiet activities at my desk. When he awakens, we reunite in the bubble of now. In that realm, I have started knitting and baking again. At times, he sits next to me while I knit or on the table to help put ingredients in the bowl when preparing a sweet bread.

The world is full of wonders! Watching a toddler marvel at the wind, I have rediscovered it. The sound of leaves blowing in the trees calls our attention. We watch the branches bow and bend. Seeing it capture my grandson’s attention calls mine – sharing a moment of wonder magnifies it.

What is natural for the child is restorative for adults; I seek it for that reason. Besides toddler time, I enter the bubble of now when I practice yoga, hike, immerse myself in my work or play. For the young child living in the consciousness of now, play is their work and playfulness is how they experience the world, their playground. It is an undivided consciousness in which all is well.

Being with my grandson awakens the consciousness of now in me and the wonder of the young child experiencing the wonder of everything! I know that eventually, he will outgrow this consciousness and new thought processes will awaken.

In the meantime, I will enjoy what we have and do my best not to burst the bubble. I’ve seen what happens when it bursts; the child who goes with the flow in the consciousness of now, experiences uncertainty and confusion. Not yet ready to enter a new consciousness, they look for the parameters and expectations of this unfamiliar turf by testing the limits.

Those are blinking lights, a sign that it’s time to return to the present, the consciousness of now, the young child’s natural state. In that world, sensing the wind blow, a butterfly fluttering, or a squirrel in a tree is enough.

And when the time is right, between about five to seven years of age, the child will transition into a new consciousness with a strong foundation to build on, and the capacity to experience the consciousness of now as needed

That’s one of many reasons I love to spend time with my grandson – to re-enter the bubble of now. It’s what he needs and what I want for him which has benefits for me as well.