Songs of Life

Standing outside a preschool playground,
watching children at play, we may catch a fleeting glimpse
of something other than the tears of angels. These young
lives are far from the horizons established for us adults by
television talk shows and popular magazines. They have no
goals or plans, no programs of self-talk, self-awareness, or
stress reduction; they are simply living life. They are like
the lilies of the field; they are clothed with the splendor
of living without any concern for tomorrow. When they fall,
their tears are without shame. When someone hurts them, they
hurt back without enduring resentment. They know what they
want. When they love, they love without restraint, and their
anger is devoid of malice. In realizing their smallness in a
huge world, and discerning loves inefficiency, fear eclipses
their hearts causing them to die as children and in so doing
they become adults, seeking out programs of self-talk,
self-awareness, and stress reduction, desperately looking
for a way to resurrect the mystery of life they had once
known. In Songs of Life, a grandfather rediscovers the
simple joys and meanings of living by playing with his
grandson, and through that experience recognizes what he
lost of himself in becoming an adult.