Baby

 In the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey, the central character, David Bowman, undergoes a mental transformation which famously culminates in a fetus floating somewhere in space. While there are many different possible interpretations for this event, it's been said that the baby symbolizes a kind of fresh and new way of looking at the world, or even a new stage in evolution, in which the previous learning has somehow in need of being transcended.
   To be able to become a "baby" again in one's life is actually a very huge birth. Moment to moment, am I able to just lose all my previous assumptions and narratives, and not get hooked into the same patterns again and again? This somehow requires the mind of pure curiosity, not taking for granted one's whole existence in any way or form. It also requires a willingness to keep starting fresh, even when one catches themselves somehow repeating similar patterns again and again.
  This "Babyhood" that I am referring to is a beginner's mind. I have sometimes found myself experiencing it in meditation, but I do believe that there are other ways as well, such as taking a self-reflective perspective of life. In the books of Thomas Moore, for instance, one sees a caring attention to soul as well as the ability to detect daily life resonance with the soul. Even simple thing like going to a park or seeing a concert might carry the connotations of something meaningful to the soul. In other words, nature and life never "wastes" anything, and there is always an opportunity to see each experience as food for the soul. But this requires an attitude of trust--an utter, faithful and undying trust that life events are already endowed with the stuff of mind. I am not reaching for anything, as everything is an enfolded reflection of my true being. With this attitude, even simple events can become opportunities to learn more about the soul and its tendencies.