Danke für Heute

Having defeated the Hungarian flu I have returned to work.

I am once more enjoying the company of my artist client and we gradually come to the end of the “order” list from the last exhibition.

A comment today from him, telling me how glad he was to have the two difficult “reproduction” paintings of sailing boats behind him, reflected my own feelings about painting. There is a huge difference between painting directly from the soul, while letting an idea take shape on the canvas, and soullessly reproducing something to order. It appears I am not the only one who prefers doing the first of these.

When I offered free choice of activity for our last hour of work together today I received this reply.. ”I haven’t painted yet today, may I paint? Just paint?” I think he was in need of feeding his soul, of feeling the calming affect of painting, instead of being creative to order, which can often be quite stressful.

So we both painted from our hearts and concluded a long day.

We had at least 6 hours of “hands on” conductive work behind, plus the hours of eating, dressing, cleaning teeth, discussing the newspapers and chatting. We were both very tired, but something happened which sparked me back to life, filled me up with energy again, albeit with a tear in my eye. Something happened which I have never before experienced in nearly twenty years of Conductive Education.

This young man turned at the door as he left, put a hand on my shoulder and said quite simply (and very clearl), Danke für Heute, "Thank you for today".

What more can one wish for as the conclusion of a long day. It was perfect, spontaneous, straight from the heart. It wasn’t as if we had been out somewhere special, or had a cooking day or had visitors. We had had a good, hard-working conductive day and it was obviously much appreciated.

More and more often these days I ask myself who is motivating whom? Who is learning from whom? It appears that while working together my clients and I move together in interlocking spirals. Like trees growing upwards in their natural spirals, their branches intertwining until it is no longer possible at a distance to tell them apart from one another. The branches reaching outwards and upwards, ever-changing with the seasons, just like conductive upbringing, conductors and clients.

That “thank you for today” gives me the feeling that new buds are opening, new branches developing and breaking out into new open expanses.

My client leaves school in a few months, he awaits this moment with joy. He looks forward to moving on into the more adult environment of Further Education, he is eager to learn and grow.

It is I who must say "Thank you" to this charming young man for Heute.

Notes

My previous blog "Conductive Upbringing-Painting by Petö, March 24th 2008