Dedicated by: Ned Burwell
One day while helping a friend sell drums at a festival in London, I heard a small child yelling for help. When I looked out from the booth, I could see the child begging people to help her mom, who was lying face down in the grass, crying and hyperventilating. But it was as if the little girl was invisible and no one could hear her cries. I quickly ran over to the girl, took her by the hand, and asked her to come and hold her mom with me. There we were, all three of us on the ground— the little girl on one side of her mom, and me on the other. I held her mom and told her she was safe and that she was going to be okay. After a few minutes, the mother’s panic attack subsided and her tears gave away to a deep sense of love and peace. We all sat there just looking at each other in love and appreciation for what was present.
After what felt like an hour but was, in real-time, likely fifteen to twenty minutes, we all got up, hugged, and parted ways. No words were exchanged. We did not need any. It was such an intense experience of love with two people I had never met and will most likely never meet again.
That day I listened to my heart. My mind was not necessary. My heart knew what to say and do every step of the way. The next day while I was helping my friend in the park, the little girl, accompanied by her mom, came skipping into the booth. This time she was full of joy. She presented me with a beautiful painting that her mom had made just for me. Her mom looked at me with open arms. Her only words, through her tears of joy, were thank you.
That experience transformed my heart and taught me about the power of listening to it. That day, my heart was wise beyond words and it delivered truth in action.