Welcome to A Dose of God,
A short-form,
Self-reflective podcast series based on the book,
A Good Dose of God,
Everybody's Best Friend.
The purpose of this series is two-fold.
First,
To enhance and sustain my own resonance with the eternal divine presence in my life.
And second,
To demonstrate how the book's poem,
The ABCs of A Dose of God,
May serve as a framework for others to regularly identify,
Connect with,
And express gratitude for what's good among common occurrences in their lives.
This episode is informed by the verse of the poem representing the letter K.
It's in the pleasant sounds of kids as they play freely through your house.
It includes a brief description of the verse,
A personal reflection demonstrating how the verse has facilitated my own resonance with doses of God in my life,
A statement of gratitude,
And a few guiding questions that may be considered for your own reflection.
Here is a description of the verse.
It's in the pleasant sounds of kids as they play freely through your house.
Kids are so genuine.
Their sounds are authentic.
Their excitement,
Joy,
And purity of behaviors are vivid representations of truth in the moment.
As kids play,
They live in the present,
Unburdened by past occurrences or future anticipation.
They embrace the moment as it is and do not dwell on what just happened or what will happen next.
Witnessing the genuineness conveyed by children as they play can be an effective reminder for us to limit our focus on the past and future.
Certainly,
Room exists for reflection and planning,
But excess reflection and planning can prompt dwelling and anticipation that cloud the beauty of the moment that truly exists,
Which is now.
Authenticity lives in the present.
Behaviors that reside in future anticipation or past thoughts lack the purity that exists in behaviors that unite with the present moment.
Here is my personal reflection on the verse.
To me,
This verse is about being around the energy of kids immersed in the present moment by engaging in activities they enjoy.
Their authentic,
Energetic aura is inspiringly contagious as it permeates through the area where they are having fun.
I remember times when our sweet,
Elderly widow neighbor would convey this message to me.
After her husband died,
She lived alone in the house directly across the street from ours until she passed away in her late 90s.
Our neighborhood was relatively quiet and did not have many kids.
During a few of our discussions over the years,
She expressed appreciation for the opportunity to be around the invigorating energy that our kids and their friends brought to the neighborhood as they played.
I can see benefits of being around the energy of kids enjoying what they are doing through a few different lenses.
First,
As a simple recipient of the energy.
Second,
As a learner from their demonstrations of the energy.
And third,
As a supporter of opportunities to sustain their energy.
Through my first lens of interpretation,
As a recipient of the energy,
By merely being in an environment where kids are doing what they instinctively love,
I have the opportunity to absorb and be a beneficiary of the positively energizing vibes that naturally permeate throughout the space.
This type of inspiring energy has potential to exponentially flourish when those in the vicinity of its existence are in a state of conscious or subconscious awareness that permits them to receive,
Resonate with,
And naturally emit a similar energy on at least some level.
This energy starkly contrasts the negatively constrictive vibes that can contaminate a space where kids are forcefully or even voluntarily engaging in activities they dislike or where they are apathetically going through the motions of doing something.
Through my second lens of interpretation,
As a learner from their demonstrations of positive energy by doing what they enjoy,
I am prompted to reflect on the types of activities that bring me enjoyment in ways that facilitate my own cultivation and diffusion of contagiously positive vibes.
I think about whether and how I actively pursue opportunities to do things that I love doing,
As well as whether and how I may be able to internally connect with and externally radiate that type of energy even when I engage in activities that do not seem enjoyable to me on the surface.
Through my third lens of interpretation,
As a supporter of opportunities for kids to sustain the positive energy they demonstrate during enjoyable activities,
I think about how I might be able to encourage my kids in following educational,
Vocational,
Recreational,
Social,
And other paths that allow them to continue doing what they love throughout life.
By being in environments where my kids do things they enjoy,
I have been in a position to glean the empowering essence of the energy they emit during enjoyable activities.
Consequently,
I am able to use that essence as a lens to guide my understanding of whether they are pursuing opportunities conducive for their ongoing happiness,
Leading to ways in which I may offer guidance or otherwise support or interact with my kids.
In terms of supporting my kids in sustaining their positive energy,
If I am around them and feel the essence of their joy,
We might visit about specific things they are doing that contribute to their happiness,
As well as strategies that could be implemented to promote their ongoing joy.
However,
If I do not feel the essence of their joy,
Our discussions might gravitate more toward uncovering the root cause of why they are not happy,
As well as strategies that could be implemented to identify joy in what they are currently doing or to pursue other opportunities that may rekindle their dormant joy.
As my kids have grown up around our house,
They have naturally emitted the essence of positive energy through a variety of activities,
Which included making blanket forts in our basement,
Having sleepovers with friends,
Hosting Halloween,
New Year's Eve,
And birthday parties,
Running around in the rain and sitting in streams of water that flowed down the side of our street during heavy rain storms,
Jumping on the trampoline,
Playing in the sandbox,
Going on the slide in swings,
Running through the sprinkler,
Having water balloon fights,
Raking and jumping in piles of leaves,
Shooting baskets,
Playing catch,
Peppering a volleyball,
Setting up lemonade stands,
Rollerblading,
Rip-sticking,
Riding bike,
And coloring with chalk on the driveway,
Making snow forts and snowmen,
Having snowball fights,
Sledding on the small slope in our neighbor's backyard,
Playing video games,
Playing tag and capture the flag,
Practicing gymnastics,
Dancing and choreographing new dances,
Playing cards and board games,
And coloring and painting pictures.
Actually being around the positive vibes exhibited by my kids while they engaged in enjoyable activities has undoubtedly had a favorable effect on the way I understand and interact with the world.
For example,
Intentionally embedding joyful activities into my lifestyle is currently one of the core components of my worldview.
I tend to feel a profound sense of alignment and sustainable happiness in my life when I consciously do things I enjoy and am capable of doing well in ways that have potential to positively impact the wellbeing of others.
Based on this worldview and relevant experiences,
I believe my kids will be able to achieve sustainable joy in their lives by consciously seeking and acting on opportunities to do things they can do well and genuinely enjoy doing in ways that positively impact others.
I see this being possible within a multitude of contexts,
Including their educational endeavors,
Career ventures,
Relationships,
And recreational journeys.
I am immeasurably grateful for times I have been given to be in the presence of my kids engaging in activities they enjoy,
To receive and learn from their energy,
And to allow space for them to do things that make them happy.
And I will attempt to remain attentive to subsequent opportunities for receiving,
Learning from,
And facilitating room to support sustainability of their joyous energy.
Here are a few guiding questions to consider that might facilitate your own personal reflection upon the verse.
It's in the pleasant sounds of kids as they play freely through your house.
Take a moment to reflect on your experiences of being around kids who have been connected with the present moment by engaging in activities they enjoy.
For example,
What are examples of times you have been around the positive energy of kids engaging in activities they enjoy?
In what ways have you allowed or created space for kids to do things they enjoy?
How do you feel when you are able to be around and absorb the positive energy in these types of environments?
How do you express gratitude for the positivity that permeates such settings?
What strategies could you implement to maintain awareness of opportunities to be around the positive energy of kids who are doing things they enjoy?
In closing,
When you witness the energy of kids interacting in authentic ways or are in the presence of others demonstrating genuine behaviors by doing things they enjoy,
You receive a dose of God.
The next episode in this series will focus on the verse representing the letter L.
It's on the lips of a gentle kiss as you say goodnight to your loving spouse.
Thank you so much for listening.
May you consistently position yourself to accept and resonate with the doses of God that are ever presently here for you.
The reflections in this series represent my interpretations of the time they were transcribed and may have been different if they were written at other points in the past or future.
Each episode is intended to be unique,
However multiple iterations of common themes and examples are likely to surface throughout the series.
