"The days are long but the years are short" said the tired lady at the coffee shop, the old man smoking a cigarette on the street corner, the women in line at the grocery store with two kids.  I've heard this from so many strangers during countless walks around my neighborhood, with Zayd, my little one, strapped to my chest - his little head bouncing around and looking out at the brand new world before him.

Last week, a bunch of us came together to explore our parenting journeys. In true Awakin style, we started off with a bit of silence, followed with some deep listening, and topped the evening off with a hot meal.  

The journey of parenthood is full of contradictions.  The days can be fast and slow, exhilarating and exhausting, scary and joyful.  How do we serve our children? How do we reconcile the wrongs of our past and steer clear of the mistakes we experienced as children? How do infuse our children with our values? How do we let them lead? All these questions and so many more were explored, and as expected we came away with no answers but even more questions.

After all this time and so many circles, I'm baffled the the circle's ability to knock you off your feet. For its wisdom. The circle has the power to give you the "don't worry, i got your back" kinda feeling, the inescapable sense that we are all truly interconnected. The ancient technology of the circle is never going to go out of style.

On this friday evening, I look out the window, the sky is streaked pink and white against the pale blue, and Zayd has finally fallen asleep. I'm catapulted into a rare moment of quiet and stillness and I am so overcome with gratitude. Gratitude for circles, for the knowledge that we all have each other's backs.