One of the surprising things about being a new Dad?

I’ve found myself singing a bunch of nursery rhymes I knew when I was a young whippersnapper but which I thought I’d forgotten a long time ago.

Turns out I know a lot more nursery rhymes than I realised.

I don’t get the words perfect every time. There’s a fair smattering of “hum-de-hum-de-hum” when I’m warbling Old MacDonald or Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

But one song I do remember word for word is the golden oldie Row, Row, Row Your Boat. Lucky for me as it brings a huge, heart-melting smile to Baby Grundy’s face every time I sing it.

I’m sure you know the lyrics:

Row, row, row your boat gently down the stream

Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, life is butter dream

Something like that anyway.

As it happens, Baby Grundy shares a love of Row Your Boat with no less than the Father of Motivation and author of one of my all-time favourite books, Wayne Dyer.

The other day I came across a YouTube video where Wayne was waxing lyrical about the wisdom packed into this very song and how the words contain the keys to a happy life.

So what’s the song telling us?

Let’s start with the first three words:

Row, Row, Row

As in, live your life. Embrace each day. Take the initiative. Don’t wait for permission. Be an active participant rather than a passive observer. 

And, above all, follow your heart. Find the thing that you’re on this planet to do and, when you do it, bring your whole self to bear. 

Wayne would sometimes put it as “don’t die with your music still in you”. 

That line has always stuck with me.

Which takes us to…

Your Boat

Not your best friend’s boat, your colleague’s boat or your therapist’s boat.

Not the boat your parents told you to row or the boat your culture, your education or your religion have mapped out on your behalf.

It’s YOUR boat. It’s your life.

Next is gently

i.e. with an ease, a lightness and a playfulness.

Life really doesn’t need to be a struggle.

Especially if you row down the stream

You’ll know you’re rowing against the current when every instinct, every decision and every thought feels like a wrestling match with yourself. A bit like huffing and puffing the wrong way up an escalator and pushing really hard just to stand still.

But there is another option.

The current of life is carrying every one of us. 

And when we stop fighting it, we’ll find that current is already carrying us in the most energising, authentic, peaceful and perfect direction we could hope for.

If you’d like to listen to Wayne Dyer’s four minutes of nursery rhyme inspired wisdom before you head into your weekend, here’s the link to the video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vfw8zWp9BAE

Have a good weekend.