Bindi & the Meditation Group
As soon as the theme of ‘10 things you should know about me’ was announced, I knew the meditation group would be excited to be part of the 10 year celebration of World Childless Week. This is our 5th submission as a group.
I asked everyone to send me some sentences which summed up what being childless is, with some prompts for reference:
What do you want people to know about you?
~ about your worth and shining self
~ about your love of nature
~ about your courage and inner strength
~ about your small joys
~ about the loss of a dream and childlessness
~ about the emotions you are releasing
~ about each other and the childless community
~ about your life now
From the sentences which came in, I formed 14 main things for people to know, by grouping people’s thoughts together.
From these 14 things, the group was asked to chose their favourite ones.
Once 10 things were chosen, a few students recorded them. Saying the sentences out loud and in the meditation space was powerful. I would love for you to listen to the recording.
Here are our 10 things about us:
1. We are a community from across the globe. While our childlessness brought us together, our bond goes so much deeper than that. Our lives are richer for these connections.
2. We are childless, but not less than… We are enough, we have always been enough, and we will always be enough. We nurture, we care, we nourish. We are worthy.
3. We are not alone; we have a childless community where we find support, friendship, encouragement. A bond which is unique from any other.
4. We give ourselves permission to feel our emotions. The sadness, the grief, the desperation, the anger, the resentment, the shame. Different emotions which bubble up at different times. We know our emotions are valid.
5. We notice the daily joys around us. These small joys keep our hearts grateful. Small, simple things which make us smile – morning blue skies, white fluffy clouds, drinking tea, nurturing pets, pretty wildflowers. These moments of wonder are adding up to a life that feels good.
6. We are living a life we never imagined, and did not want. We have so much love to give. We wanted to give this love to our children. We are learning to give ourselves this love.
7. The ‘less’ part of childless does not mean we are less of a person, it reflects the grief we hold in our hearts. We will keep loving the children we never had, or held in our arms.
8. Letting go of the hope of being a mother was the hardest thing in our lives; but it was also the beginning of a new life. One which allows us to stand tall and speak about childlessness without pain, shame or embarrassment.
9. We draw inspiration from the natural world. The way nature changes during the year. It helps us to see that we can also shed, release… and bloom and grow.
10. Our lives are rich and full. We are different, we are changing, we are creating new paths, new journeys. We are ready to live life more fully. We are ready to shine again.
