Two birds, a Tree Pie and a Barbret in our Mulberry tree, both not showing interest on feeding on the fruits! The Tree Pie longingly looked at the bunch, but did not proceed further.
I found this intriguing. The Magpie Robins, Sunbirds and Bulbuls thrive on these fruits.
Birds are also choosers! I suppose they would not go hungry as there are Guavas, Papayas, Custard apple, Banana, etc in our garden that they can live on.
Yesterday, a family visited after a gap of two years with their son of of four years, after having been to different modalities of treatment in different traditions of medicine including naturopathy and Ayurveda, with some concerns about high level of Ammonia, Cholesterol and weight gain. The family chose this path of trying different treatment processes as the Neuro-development did not catch up adequately in three months after they first visited us.
It dawned upon me the impact of power of choice as I listened to the story. For most of the Neuro-developmental dysfunctions in children, the causal pathways and subsequent clinical pathways are not fully identifiable or modifiable.
A child is still a child even when he or she is verbally less communicative or slow at class room learning.
When this perspective is subsumed by the limitations or boundaries of a child, the parents feel driven to be on a pathway which neither is comfortable to them or bring needed respite from the symptom complex of a child.
Against this background, another family dropped in to narrate the progress the child is making inspite of his hearing impairment, limitations in mobility and intercurrent illnesses. This child at five is learning to adjust to the class room and parents conveyed an endearing view of the child and his prospects without being preoccupied by his limitations. I felt touched by this narration of the joy, the family feels in witnessing his childhood experiences. The mother turned to her child and embraced him with tears rolling down her cheeks. Then I knew she had him upon her heart.
We too can choose what we dwell on!
We can see the thorns in the rose bush and stay away or be drawn by the fragrance and colourfulness of a rose flower!
It is now forty years since Anna and I have been on a journey to enter into the thick mist of childhood developmental dysfunctions. It is a mystery beyond comprehension that some children are denied the fullness of their childhood!
The bottom line is that those who chose to be involved with such children are co-travellers with such children to receive the truths of life hidden in the visible limitations they carry.
The Tree Pie avoided the Mulberry fruit for some reason!
Some avoid thinking about developmentally challenged children and some become co-travellers! In both cases, we exercise our choice !
M.C.Mathew(text and photo)
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