Miki Dedijer
Remaining faithful to the dream that brought you to life
Hey there–welcome back to my monthly newsletter. It's been a while.
I've been busy lately running the Lodge for Natural Dads–a small online gathering for committed fathers. We just had our final call, and I'm struck by how amazing it is to share our stories.
One thing that keeps coming back to me is that we need a new story for fatherhood. The myth of the heroic (and often lonely) father with endless resources to valiantly go forth into the world, no longer seems to fully serve us, our children, or our families.
In his latest podcast, The Deep Roots of Genius, Michael Meade speaks of the genius myth. In these times of political turbulence and suffering environment, our best path as fathers may be to stay true to our deeper callings, our genius. Allowing ourself to be guided by our sense of wonder, meaning and purpose, may be the shortest way home.
This isn't saying we should remain passive. We may very well get angry at the injustices of the world that are breaking up much of what we love (and maybe we bring some of that anger home to our family). In The Wisdom of Anger, the Lion's Roar writes about the compassionate wisdom inherent in anger. We can lovingly welcome our anger when it arises, without passing it on to our children.
Anger, despair and fear, buddhist monkThich Nhat Hanh says in this interview, grow from wrong perceptions. That, he says, is the foundation of war, violence and conflict. The practice that throws water on the flames, is deep, compassionate listening. When is the last time you felt truly heard? When is the last time you truly listened to your child?
Blessings,
If you can use some support in stepping fully into the life you're meant to live, and the fatherhood you know is possible, I can help. A first step is to set up a free consultation with me so we can get to know one another a bit better, and see if we're a good fit.
