A few days ago I was listening to a recording about Radical Acceptance by Tara Brach, a psychotherapist and meditation teacher who recounted this story which gave me quite a jolt.
A family went out to dinner, the waitress came over took the parent’s order. Their five year old daughter decided to get into the act and piped up with “I’ll have a hot dog, french fries and a coke”. “Oh no, she won’t!” interjected the father. Turning to the waitress he said, “she’ll have meatloaf, mashed potatoes and milk!”.
Looking at the little girl, the waitress said “So, honey, what do you want on that hot dog?”. When she left the family sat stunned and silent.
A few moments later the little girl, eyes shining, said: “She thinks I’m real!”
When were you last acknowledged as real?