Grow with their Flow

Elton John’s Circle of Life is one of those songs that has always moved me in a way I couldn’t quite explain. It carries a weight, a truth that feels universal yet deeply personal. It wasn’t until I became a mother that I truly understood why the song resonates so deeply with me.

The Transience of Life

Perhaps it comes from my time working in palliative care, where I was constantly reminded of life’s impermanence. Watching people in their final moments, I saw the full spectrum of life—the joys, the regrets, the love, and the inevitability of letting go. It shaped my perspective, making me keenly aware that our time here is limited. And that awareness drives me to do my best for my children, not in a way that seeks to control their future, but in a way that honors the present.

We All Have Our Own Journeys

The song speaks of how some people seem to rise effortlessly while others struggle, yet we all take leaps of faith, hold onto hope, and navigate life’s challenges in our own ways. That idea resonates deeply with me as a parent.

It is enough to do my best. I have to remind myself of this constantly. I cannot control when my child is ready to receive a lesson, whether they have the maturity to understand it, or if they are in the right mindset to embrace it. I can only offer guidance, plant the seeds, and patiently wait, having faith that with time, they will grow into the people they are meant to be. They are not mine to shape entirely; they have their own lives, their own destinies to fulfill.

Embracing the Cycle

The Circle of Life is not just about human experiences—it encompasses all of existence. Everything in this world—animals, plants, human beings—we are all part of this endless cycle. Life begins, flourishes, and eventually comes to an end, only to give way to new beginnings. It is a reminder that no one is exempt from this cycle, no matter how much we wish we could hold on to the present forever.

There was a time in my life when I was deeply contemplating the meaning of life and death. It was a dark time, but also a necessary one. I grappled with the question of why we live if we are all destined to die. Now, I have made peace with the impermanence of life. That peace has shaped how I talk to my children about death—I don’t want them to fear it as I once did. Instead, I want them to see it as part of the natural order, something to be accepted rather than dreaded.

Finding Our Place

The song reminds us that life is uncertain—a mix of fate, faith, and hope as we all try to find our place along an ever-unfolding path. Parenting is, in itself, a leap of faith. We do our best, never knowing for sure if we are making the right choices, but hoping that love, patience, and guidance will be enough. We cannot walk the path for our children, but we can walk alongside them, trusting that they will find their place in this great unwinding journey of life.

And so, just as time moves forward and nature continues its cycle, I hold onto faith. Faith that my children will grow, that they will learn, and that, in their own time, they will become who they are meant to be. Because that is the circle of life.

If the theme of legacy and time resonates with you, A Legacy Left Unwritten — What a Dying Patient Taught Me About the Time We Have With Our Children is one of the most personal things I have written.