Over the years I have had the pain and pleasure of working with all sorts of teachers. In my area, there are two universities, one college and plenty of elementary to high schools. Some of my aunts were teachers, plus my husband and son are teachers. So, all varieties of teachers have crossed my path, needing to improve their situations and symptoms.

Most teachers’ response to anything new is to grade it. It’s happened in hundreds of sessions with university and college professors, high school teachers and elementary school teachers. Let’s face it, they are trained for judging in their jobs. Rating and grading the performance of their students makes for a strong habit to rate everything.

We All Rate Our Experiences

Problems are created by a lack of intuitive connection in a world full of information and statistics. When a person’s first response is to be critical and negative, there’s no chance for change or growth in their life. It is entirely possible to shut down any chance for improvement when all judgment sees is what’s not good enough. How can we know and trust what “feels” right when our analytical mind is in control?

Control Issues Block People’s Progress

Another level of resistance many teachers present, is wanting control of every step along the way. After all, they’re trained to keep control of students in their class. Teachers aren’t the only ones struggling with this problem. Giving up control can be scary, for some, it’s all they have left. When illness has taken control, it can be brutal for individuals who are used to orchestrating every detail in life. Letting go, allowing another to guide and assist may not be an easy choice.

Fear and Doubt Hide Behind Control

The ocean of doubt produces question after question. Sometimes questioning is competitive, trying to show they know more. Why would anyone want fear and doubt to control them? Fear and doubt can keep us frozen and stuck with nowhere to go. Change can be uncomfortable as we rise and transform. Some people prefer staying stuck, living with depression and pain. It’s a comfortable misery, a familiar story they are used to.

Eventually, most people let the reins go, and we make real progress together! We all benefit when we allow wiggle room for new and different experiences.

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Have you ever had the opportunity to go berry picking?
I’m not talking about the little packages of berries you’d pick up at the store.
I used to do a lot of berry picking when I was young, and it was a favourite activity. It usually also involved a chance to go out for a picnic with my mom and grandfather, Cappy Guy. My mom would prepare the meal and pack it up for the three of us. We would take off in Cappy’s little car, which he never did seem to get, to handle and how to shift it properly! So I remember bouncing around while riding in the back seat, but I loved every second of the trip.

After dinner, they would sit and have coffee together and Cappy would light up his pipe. I still like the smell of pipe tobacco when I get a whiff. It always reminds me of Cappy Guy and picnics. Then we would start berry picking. Mom taught me to dress in clothing that would keep me covered up to prevent vicious scratches from the berry bushes. I did get a few scratches each time. It was unavoidable, I was young and those prickly Blackberry bushes were nasty to reach into.

I remember the delight of getting down into the woodsy area where the berries grew. The three of us would quietly be picking berries. Of course, we would be eating a few berries along the way. A lot went in my mouth first. Then when I was full of berries, they would started piling up in my little container. No one was talking. We were all quiet, enjoying picking the berries. When a container was full, I would hear them talking to each other. I was rarely the first one with a full bucket since many berries went into my stomach.

It was such a calm, peaceful place. Being in nature, safely tucked away in the forest with my mom nearby. Everything was green, lush and warm, and it was a beautiful time of the year. There were birds and breezes I would pause and listen to. It was a joy to be in nature. Do you feel that way when you get out in nature, whether it’s in a park or provincial park or in the woods somewhere?

Nature Brings Us To A Calm Place

It settles us down to a more grounded, peaceful space. Unfortunately, we don’t get to that space often enough.

To this day, I am grateful for every opportunity I get to pick fresh berries. My husband laughs at me when I full stop to pick a few wild berries when I spot them.

These days he’s gets a chuckle seeing me at the front of our house. When we moved here, we discovered a special tree at the front of our house. Just beyond my office window there is a beautiful little mulberry tree. This year it is a very happy tree loaded with nutritious, yummy mulberries. I have been out there daily picking some of our prolific crop of sweet little purple mulberries. I certainly eat more than I keep, that is half the fun of this tree. Plus they fall off the tree so easily, many go on the ground and the birds steal those ones. It is a pleasure having my own mulberry tree for berry picking. Every time I go for more berries I think of my mom, knowing she would be right beside me if she were here today.

It is important to remember and enjoy and be grateful for our fond life memories as they arrive. Enjoy those little pleasures in life, even if there isn’t a fond memory attached. I suggest that you enjoy your little pleasures. Take a moment to pick those berries. Take a moment to breathe in fresh air. Notice your surroundings and be grateful. We must recognize the lovely little treats in our life that come along. Be grateful for them and for those who taught us how to recognize a good opportunity.

I will always be grateful to my mom for teaching me the pleasure of picking berries and tending to a vegetable garden, for watching things grow in nature and being grateful for its gifts.

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