Practicing

I'm thinking back to a few weeks ago when I had been fishing on the dock with two year old Robert, (who is an energetic and happy child). After fishing I sat with his mother and we watched him run around the yard as we talked. He would repeatedly fall down, get back up and keep going. Never mind taking time to brush himself off - he would just go back to moving at top speed without a second thought.

Robert's pediatrician had told her that the majority of an individual's personality may be preset at birth and doesn’t change. I thought to myself, but don't life experiences change a person? Then I wondered if tough situations really change you or if they just give you a chance to "reset". The same circumstances which force you to stop and be in the moment can also stop a lot of the background chatter in your mind. Worries, fears, doubts anxieties. It seems they're pretty much self manufactured anyway. Robert doesn’t seem to have any concerns (at least not this afternoon) he just keeps moving and experiencing things. He has all the appearance of practicing things, like running, falling and getting back up, but not with the apparent intent of trying to learn them.