30 Days To A New Life- Day 21

Dennis Rodriguez is in:
The Next Top Spiritual Author Competition
Click link to Vote: http://www.nexttopauthor.com/profile.cfm?aid=1005

Last night my oldest daughter asked me: “Can we write a book together?”

I could tell that she was noticing how much joy it brought me to speak about my book and she wanted a piece of the action. She also wanted to spend more time with daddy.

“Of course we can! What should it be about?”

“About Superman” was her answer.

“I know, how about we write a book called The Superman Effect on Children?”

“I like it!” she said

I opened up a blank Word Document and started writing the title of the book we would write in the future together.

I’ve been thinking about my childhood quite a bit lately. The memories that I have written about have made it possible for me to tell my story, contemplate an expanded vision for the future and give my family an extraordinarily rich life. These troubling memories may at times be as difficult to read as they were to write, but they have all served a higher purpose; they have shaped the man I have become and have been my vehicle for positive change. The effect that these childhood memories of a repressive home had on me was a steely resolve to break the lineage of fear and prolonged psychological trauma. I know that my father experienced the same type of trauma growing up in Puerto Rico and it was a safe bet that so did his father before him.

It was through a blend of prayer and continual self-exploration that I was able to close the book on negative ancestral patterns of behavior and instill my own children with the global belief that life is fun, joyful, abundant and that all things are possible- that scarcity is a myth and that children deserve their childhood. The prayers came from my blessed mother; the tools for self-exploration came from my actor training.

To become an actor, I was stripped naked by my teachers of the belief that I knew what made me tick. I was required, if I was to grow in the craft, to discover the source of my restriction to freedom. I had no choice but to feel the pain that accompanied these restrictions and although it wasn’t until years after I left acting that I was able to find forgiveness, I learned to face my past with honesty and in truth. I am grateful for every day that I spent in grueling self-analysis, even if motivated by “getting into the heart of a character in a play.” I spent years trying to find the origin of my buried anger and the insecurities that surfaced became my daily roadmap. Thankfully, digging a little deeper was welcomed therapy because I wanted to be a great actor and fully understand human behavior.

Whenever I observe myself playfully creating with my children, I thank my mother for her prayers and God for my past. Someday my daughter and I will write a book about the effects that a transformed life has on the young. When we allow ourselves to enjoy life regardless of our present circumstances, what our children pick up on is a world transformed. Happiness becomes their baseline because it is now ours. The next time you see your children, take a moment to realize that you are your children’s world. Yes, it is a heavy responsibility to carry to be your children's constant reminder that life is beautiful, but the Superman Effect on children is their divine right.