No one is going to read this blog and I know it. What the h— is more boring than reading an ancient Chinese text called The #Tao de Ching? Not only am I writing this blog, I actually did a show on The #Tao on The Stepmom Toolbox Show http://bit.ly/Agubc0 I don’t think anyone will listen to that one either. What I should have done is labelled this blog and my show as, “3 Tips That Will Save Your Family! Guaranteed!”
The #Tao is an ancient Chinese text written by Lao Tsu in the 6th century B.C. Some say that it is the wisest book ever written. I think there is much to learn from the text. It is only 81 verses, but I don’t think that anyone would read an article that says, “81 Tips That Will Save Your Family!” We don’t have the patience for that. My class is the mom’s interpretation of some of the verses (which is pretty scary!) I thought I would share 3 of my favorite verses from the #Tao and see if you have an ‘aha’ moment.
1. The soft overcomes the hard; The gentle overcomes the rigid
Think about how soft and pliable a baby is. It’s so wonderful to touch and be around. A rigid body is how you think about death. So, life is meant to be flexible and soft. Think about that when your stepchildren are late or so something that you find annoying. Be flexible and soft with them. This is what true strength is.
2. All streams flow to the sea because it is lower than they are. Humility gives it its power.
There is strength and leadership in staying low. Humility is a great place to live. Let’s be real and say that it is frustrating when your efforts at stepparenting are not acknowledged. Have you ever done all the work on something and then the awards and accolades go to someone else? Learn from nature. All streams will flow to the sea because it stays low and lets them shine.
3. Compassionate toward yourself, you reconcile all beings in the world.
Take care of yourself. You don’t have to be perfect or constantly be doing things. It’s okay. When you are compassionate to yourself, you bring great compassion to the planet. When your children see you being compassionate towards yourself, they will learn compassion towards others.
If you want to learn more about the #Tao, I learned from two fantastic sources:
Dr. Wayne Dyer’s book and cds: “Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life, Living the Wisdom of the Tao,” http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=wayne+dyer+tao&x=0&y=0
Stephen Mitchell’s books: “Tao de Ching, A New English Version” http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=wayne+dyer+tao&x=0&y=0#/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=stephen+mitchell+tao&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Astephen+mitchell+tao
Here’s my class, which can be found at: The #Stepmom Toolbox on #BlogTalkRadio:
