What are you going to be when you grow up? Jesus said, God.

The kid and I have been having this lovely conversation about God the past few days. It started as a bit of a stand-off about diety gender, when he said He and I said She, and he said god's not a girl, and I said, God is both and neither. There's nothing you can think of, or see, or feel that's not god. The kid chewed on that and agreed and that's where we've been for days, pulling out the most random things we can and testing if we believe they're god - they always are. :-)

So, last night, he says, I can't go to sleep because what if the world ends tomorrow?

hmm. That's a show-stopper, dude. I take a deep breath. I begin, "Well, I can see how that would be really worrying to think about. but there's times, baby, when you can think of a thing (and even think it over and over) that doesn't make you happy or healthy or doesn't help you at all. there's times when you need to let go of the thought, put in a box or a balloon or whatever, and let it drift off. Thinking something over and over doesn't mean that you have to pay attention to it over and over; sometimes it means you have let go of it over and over."

He said, I can't put in a box or a balloon. I just can't. It's too scary to ignore. (and also, he wants to keep talking and keep not sleeping!)

hmmm. more deep breaths. (I'm mentally working through The Work at this point and wondering how to frame it up without a lecture.)

Kid, do you think that that thought is god?

Yes.

I do too baby.

silence.

sleep.

'night, baby.