Babies, by their very existence, call us back to something we all sense we have lost. They do not enchant us simply because they are ‘cute’, but because they awaken in us a thirst that sleeps deep within some wellspring of yearning that we know we have neglected.
– William Schafer

Today’s message is shared by Jennifer Chen. Chen works for the Society of Richmond Children’s Centres on the traditional and unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh nations. She is a leadership coach, a thinking partner, and an Exchange Leader.

I was recently thrusted into helping care for my aunt and uncle. I have a fractured relationship with them so when I heard that they needed care, I hesitated. I hesitated because of all the history that we have. I hesitated because I still have unresolved feelings toward them.

As I carefully thought about what to do I remembered two questions I heard in a professional learning opportunity…What kind of world do we want to live in? What kind of people do we want to be? My heart started to soften.

Questions from my work were helping me navigate a tough personal situation. I know that so much of who I am, I have learned at work while working alongside young human beings and their very compassionate caregivers.

I’ve seen how quickly our infants and toddlers respond to the needs of their peers, they are so quick to give of themselves when they see someone needing help. How do I reconnect with that part of my life? The giving of ourselves so wholeheartedly, the “wellspring of yearning” in the quote above. That’s the kind of world that I want to live in and that’s the kind of person that I want to be.

That’s what helped me to be the person who showed up at the hospital in my understanding that I was taking action towards the kind of person I want to be – inspired by those caring babies.

For me, work-life balance isn’t what I am striving for. I have embraced that who we are at work influences who we are at home and vice versa. There is no balance there. Only wholehearted living.