Freedom to move..

Hannah wakes early and slips out of bed without disturbing her sleeping family.

She nibbles a raw cacao ball and sips some green smoothie her mother has made the previous day, leaves the quiet house and jogs down the street towards the park where she knows the Tai Chi group will be practicing their art. The discussion this morning is about how to deflect incoming forces without using strength, using an opponent's strength against them, with the group working in pairs pushing hands against each other and rolling the partner's arms aside whilst moving gently out of the way. The work is related to life experiences and how to flow around issues rather than meet them head on and cause conflict or get stuck. They finish with a slow performance of one of the sets of movements, with a newfound understanding and fullness of feeling.

After the session Hannah sits with her back to a tree off the edge of the park, listening to the birds and munching on a dried banana she has unwrapped from a cloth in her pocket. She is wondering about where she is stuck in her life and how she might flow around the issues.

When Hannah arrives home it's still early and dad and the boys are still asleep. Her mum is doing some light cleaning in the kitchen and tending to some of the food prep. Rachael looks up with a smile as Hannah walks in, and asks if her daughter would like some food, her voice barely above a whisper. Hannah chooses a peppermint tea and asks Rachael if they can have a chat.

Sitting on the verandah, sipping their tea in silence, Rachael is peacefully waiting for her tweenage daughter to begin the conversation, knowing how it takes time to martial one's thoughts enough to express with clarity. She watches her daughter's face as she sips her tea, eyes closed, a gentle smile, connecting to source. Hannah opens her eyes to gaze into her mother's.. love looking at love.. and begins her movement.

'I've been trying to find close, connected community by looking in the schools around me, and found there is nothing there for me but disconnection. The kids are all socialised in ways that don't allow them to be their true selves and are not capable of the real connection I need. Many are so messed up by terrible parenting that I can't help but feel pity for them.' Their eyes are still connected whilst they both take a sip of the hot, fresh deliciousness.

'It's like I've been looking around with a torch inside when what I need is out in the sunshine. I want to do is travel and find an unschooling community.'

Rachael sits back in her chair and closes her eyes to be with her thoughts.. her seemingly conflicting thoughts. She had been considering for some weeks negotiating some time away for herself, and to now was leaving those thoughts alone, waiting as it were for a confluence of events..

She loves her husband dearly, but in many ways he just doesn't get her approach to parenting and unschooling, which initially didn't seem to be an issue, but now she is becoming aware that the rearing of children is a joint effort, and if one parent is not on board with the process the children's potential to fully be themselves will be negatively affected.

She feels a need to get away, but cannot gain clarity on how this can be done or on what is in each child's best interests.

Also, she is pregnant, and is very much thinking of the environment she wishes to bring this child into, including the duration of the pregnancy. She hasn't advised her husband of her pregnancy, and she knows it will be some time before he notices. There are some aspects of birthing that he doesn't understand and disagrees with her with his arguments based on misconceptions, and she just doesn't want to go into it this time.

She also has been concerned about the lack of unschooling community in their local area and has had no ideas on how to address that, other than developing online community which helps but is not enough.

Now with Hannah's question a series of little shifts occur within her self and possibility begins to open. She checks in with her intuition, how does her body feel about staying and getting Hannah to work it out here somehow?.. she feels tension in her belly. How does she feel when she considers leaving to travel and find close, connected community?.. she feels relaxed, expansive. The wisdom reflected in her body is telling her to go.

Rachael decides to run it by her online friends, and already has a general idea where they will make their first destination.. an area with a high density of close online unschooling friends, a ready made community. She places her now cold tea on the table and looks up at her daughter, who has picked up the book on unschooling she began reading the previous night. Hannah looks up immediately and places the book in her lap.

'Yes, you and I shall go on a little road trip. Dad and the boys will be fine. There's a wonderful area we can visit, stay with some friends for a while and find what we are asked to flow with.'

Hannah lay back in her seat with eyes closed, tears rolling down her cheeks.. 'I knew I could count on you, mum.'

Rachael lifts herself from her chair and walks towards her daughter, who springs from her seat to join her mother in a hug.. 'When can we go?' 'Tomorrow.' Rachael is an empowered woman who lives in the moment, and when she makes a decision based in love, her life becomes a love action.

They pick up their cups and go inside to begin preparations for the journey.

'Oh mum, this is all just so exciting!'