My life in the Haitian orphanage had a very simple routine involving being around the children. Communication was tricky at first as I didn’t speak Creole nor French. I have to admit I was frustrated as I was coming from New York City were achievement and success was measurable. I felt incompetent and wasn’t sure what to do for these children after they suffered so much loss in the earthquake. Aside from bring tons of materials for the orphanage, I didn’t have any useful skills like a doctor or teacher. I felt useless and thought that perhaps I was taking too much space. When I asked my mentor, Sonia Pierre, to give me something to do, she would simply reply “be with the children”. Eventually, after some time trying to “be with the children” I learned what she meant. By being present and not thinking too much of what my role was supposed to be like a new part of me came up when I slowed down and I discovered a deeper way to be with the children. I didn’t need to speak their language. Without having anything to do, I let go of the New Yorker yangian need to do and learned to listen. I started using my eyes to observe and take in what the children were trying to communicate to me. My hands became tools of warmth and compassion. I started cooking for the children. I would peal the potatoes and cut the onions every morning. I started entraining with their field. One morning, I woke up after having a dream that my good friend Demitri who was one of the youngest boys that I met in the orphanage was in a car with his head hanging out the window entranced by the air going through his face. The next day I woke up with my mind set that I was going to take Demitri and his best friend who was another boy in the orphanage to a restaurant to have fish. I still cannot remember how I found someone that had access to a car but I did. I piled the two boys in the car. They were bursting and giggling with joy, really beyond excited. As we were driving to the seafood restaurant, I glanced at the side mirror and saw Demitri’s face hanging off the window with his eyes closed and the air gently hitting his face, exactly like in my dream. The two boys had never been in a restaurant in their life. They grew up between the walls of the orphanage with the same routine day after day. They devoured the fish as if it was a delicatessen that they will never try again but it is my belief that the real experience was the gift of the freedom inspired by the gift of Wind. The Spirit of Wind and the Syphs, the air Elementals, often come through my land bringing companionship. I consider Wind one of my oldest friends that brings powerful messages, including inspiration for others, like in this case with Demitri and his friend. I deeply believe that when Demitri closed his eyes and felt air in his face, Wind came to bless him and the Sylphs joined Demitri’s Spirit allies. Or, perhaps Demitri’s Sylph friends came to visit me in New York to join him in Haiti. Thank you Wind and Sylphs for guiding me to this orphanage where I was blessed into finding a deeper way to connect with others. As I type this, Wind is coming through my studio saying hello.
