EMPTY YOURSELF OF WORRIES
To survive as a parent you must empty yourself
Of your constant thinking, planning, and worrying.
You and your children were born in the Tao,
Live in the Tao, and will return to the same Tao.
If you do not realize this you will mistake the sorrow you see in life
For the final word, and you will become hardened with fear.
But knowing how things really are, you gain true confidence.
Being confident, your mind opens to see your children as they really are.
Seeing them as they really are, your heart fills with genuine love for them.
Truly loving them, you realize your own divine nature…
William Martin, The Parents Tao Te Ching
2 Comments
Trackbacks/Pingbacks
- The Tension of Being “On” - [...] week I posted a poem by William Martin — Empty Yourself of Worries. I love how poems and stories ...
Chris White, M.D. is a board-certified pediatrician whose parenting work aims to optimize the developmental potential of children and their parents. He regularly writes on 
Thank you for posting this. I read it just when I needed that reminder.
The last thing I want to offer my daughter is fear. When I get in that space I remind myself of the fearlessness that I discovered in labor/delivery. And yet really I just need to look at HER to remember our true nature!
Thanks Chris. Keep ‘em coming brother.