The Tooth Fairy is real
At some young age many of us quit believing in the tooth fairy. I keep thinking that at nearly 81 I will soon be old enough to let go of what some would claim is a very immature belief. Yet, every day I am reminded of the saying in many 12-step program, “Don’t give up before the miracle.”
No matter what new skill or dance of life one is learning one must begin with what Soren Kierkegaard called “the leap of faith”. Whether one is learning a new technical language or other language, a new piece of music on any instrument including the voice or a new way of thinking, if one sticks with it the Eureka moment arrives. Sitting down to play a new piece of music one stumbles through the notes. It is not music. For days or longer one might sit down to play and one hears a series of, at best, roughly connected notes. Then one day one sits down to play and music magically fills the air.
A few minutes ago, I got a note from a man I had seen many years ago for counseling. At that time, he masked his fear with blaming anger. He now reports that he has been in recovery for addiction for one year and wrote to make amends for his behavior with me. He and his wife are in couples counseling and he is active in the AA program. A seeming miracle. Something clicked and he was able to accept and practice a new dance with himself, his wife and others.
Earlier this morning I was listening to a Fresh Air interview between host Dave Davies, Dennis Ross, President Clinton’s point man in the negotiations with Palestinian and Israeli leaders and filmmaker Dror Moreh about the new documentary “The Human Factor”. It is well worth a listen and I am eager to see the film. One of the antidotes Mr. Ross shared was regarding a time when President Clinton spoke to the representatives of Palestine and Israel. He was personally dealing with the fact that the story of his addictive sexual behavior had just been made public. He got up to speak at the meeting and instead of reading the prepared speech began with talking about the fact that he had just talked with children whose fathers has been killed by Palestinians and then talked to children who fathers had been killed by the Israeli’s. President Clinton said, “Neither side has a monopoly on pain or virtue.” Mr. Ross reports many of these seasoned diplomats at the meeting then wept. A miracle of sentiment touched the truth of shared humanness sparked by a man forced to publicly face his own humanness.
Mr. Moreh also made the film “The Gatekeepers” in which he separately interviews former heads of security of Israel and, as such, those responsible for military actions against the Palestinians. This is another powerful film in which each of these men come to some of the same conclusions about the limits of the use of military force; how it quickly becomes about winning and not justice (my memory and interpretation). All come to realize that we must come together to share as humans who basically want the same thing (again my memory and my interpretation).
Even though the epiphany for many of us may seem, as Grandma Fannie might say, a day late and a dollar short, it is possible if we have the courage. the patience and trust the tooth fairy will visit; we will discover that we can together play a symphony which overpowers the noise of fear, labels and hatred.
Written January 27, 2021
Jimmy F. Pickett
coachpickett.org
At some young age many of us quit believing in the tooth fairy. I keep thinking that at nearly 81 I will soon be old enough to let go of what some would claim is a very immature belief. Yet, every day I am reminded of the saying in many 12-step program, “Don’t give up before the miracle.”
No matter what new skill or dance of life one is learning one must begin with what Soren Kierkegaard called “the leap of faith”. Whether one is learning a new technical language or other language, a new piece of music on any instrument including the voice or a new way of thinking, if one sticks with it the Eureka moment arrives. Sitting down to play a new piece of music one stumbles through the notes. It is not music. For days or longer one might sit down to play and one hears a series of, at best, roughly connected notes. Then one day one sits down to play and music magically fills the air.
A few minutes ago, I got a note from a man I had seen many years ago for counseling. At that time, he masked his fear with blaming anger. He now reports that he has been in recovery for addiction for one year and wrote to make amends for his behavior with me. He and his wife are in couples counseling and he is active in the AA program. A seeming miracle. Something clicked and he was able to accept and practice a new dance with himself, his wife and others.
Earlier this morning I was listening to a Fresh Air interview between host Dave Davies, Dennis Ross, President Clinton’s point man in the negotiations with Palestinian and Israeli leaders and filmmaker Dror Moreh about the new documentary “The Human Factor”. It is well worth a listen and I am eager to see the film. One of the antidotes Mr. Ross shared was regarding a time when President Clinton spoke to the representatives of Palestine and Israel. He was personally dealing with the fact that the story of his addictive sexual behavior had just been made public. He got up to speak at the meeting and instead of reading the prepared speech began with talking about the fact that he had just talked with children whose fathers has been killed by Palestinians and then talked to children who fathers had been killed by the Israeli’s. President Clinton said, “Neither side has a monopoly on pain or virtue.” Mr. Ross reports many of these seasoned diplomats at the meeting then wept. A miracle of sentiment touched the truth of shared humanness sparked by a man forced to publicly face his own humanness.
Mr. Moreh also made the film “The Gatekeepers” in which he separately interviews former heads of security of Israel and, as such, those responsible for military actions against the Palestinians. This is another powerful film in which each of these men come to some of the same conclusions about the limits of the use of military force; how it quickly becomes about winning and not justice (my memory and interpretation). All come to realize that we must come together to share as humans who basically want the same thing (again my memory and my interpretation).
Even though the epiphany for many of us may seem, as Grandma Fannie might say, a day late and a dollar short, it is possible if we have the courage. the patience and trust the tooth fairy will visit; we will discover that we can together play a symphony which overpowers the noise of fear, labels and hatred.
Written January 27, 2021
Jimmy F. Pickett
coachpickett.org
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