Most of us have heard of the story of Icarus and his very talented, engineer father, Daedalus. Daedalus was exiled to Crete, and in order to escape the exile built a pair of wings, for he and his son, from wax and feathers. Before leaving the island he instructed Icarus not to fly too close to the sun or the sea. If you’re not familiar with the story, Icarus became giddy with the freedom of flight, and flying closer and closer to the sun lost his wings and fell to the sea, and his death.

There are just as many interpretations of this myth as there are in the telling of it. Some say it is about how our children need to obey their parents; others talk about how we need to follow the “middle road”, as Icarus was instructed to stay between the sun and the sea spray for his survival.

While these are valuable lessons, I see the story of Icarus as being about awareness. Both Daedalus and Icarus were successful, in the beginning, with the escape from Crete. It was only Icarus however that lost himself in the pleasure of flying who ended up in the drink. I remember (as a child especially) there were times when I was having so much fun I would fail to recognize the time, and come home late to face upset parents. Even in our adult life awareness is a key component to our success. If we can’t see the forest because of the tree in front of us, we will experience disappointment.

David Richo writes about the five “A’s” in his book, “How to Be an Adult in Relationships: The Five Keys to Mindful Loving”. They are: attention, acceptance, appreciation, affection and allowing. These are basic components without which none of us can live a fruitful life. Personally, I would add another “A” to that list: awareness.

Love and Bright blessings ~ Richard