A beginner's mind

Not long ago, I took my daughter into my studio to paint. She has a creative soul and innate talent, but more important than either of those, she has a beginner’s mind.

As we began, I found myself instructing more than painting along side. “Put your paints on the palette like this.” “To get this color, you need to mix this with that.” “Never put this color next to that one the canvas.”

She listened respectfully to her father, then mixed the colors the way she wanted, put whatever colors she wanted next to each other, and used her fingers and anything else she could find to get the paint to look the way she wanted. In the end, she showed me the freedom and spontaneity that once drew me to art.

I have since tried to reclaim a beginner’s mind in art and other aspects of my life. Unfortunately, time adds layers upon layers to the way we do things, and it’s difficult to peal them away and reclaim the wide-eyed enthusiastic, fearless approach to living we had when we first did something.

If you doubt this, honestly ask the last time you tried something new? When was the last time you didn’t rely on how you'd done things before?

When was the last time you did something without thought for what others would think? When did you try something at work or at home that you have never tried before? When did you drive home a different way, drink tea instead of coffee, or walk barefoot in a field with a friend instead of meet for lunch or a round of golf? When, like the picture above, did you hold a friend close and put iceing on your nose?

When was the last time you sat across from your spouse and talked as if you were dating? When was the last time you resisted topics like the kids, the bank account, or the roof in need repair, and asked about his or her greatest memories, favorite song or movie, or deepest pain or fear?

When was the last time you attended church (or synagogue or mosque) and listened with a beginner’s mind? When did you last read a parable or psalm as if you’d never heard it before? When did you speak to God with the honesty of a child? You know, like “God thanks for the salamander that’s sitting on that rock.” “God, I scraped my knee and it hurts.” “God, my best friend in the world (this week) went to the movies with someone else and I’m really sad.” “God, I don’t understand why my dog died.”

Finding the beginner’s mind takes effort, using it takes courage, but it is where true life, and our true selves, are found.