At the risk of coming over all Woman’s Own on you, as in “Don’t they say the cutest things” I thought I’d pass this on.
It’s not cute, it’s not even funny, it’s just weirdly philosophical.
While waiting for Ben to learn another retro riff from the seventies at his guitar class, Hannah is drawing and we are chatting as she colours something in pink felt pen.
She takes the conversation and gives it a good shaking…
Hannah – Mummy, when I die I’m going to come alive again after ten seconds.
Me – That’s nice.
Hannah – And it’ll be a happy life. This is my horrid life. Next time I’ll be a princess, and I’ll live in a mansion, and I’ll have twenty dogs and five horses.
Me – (a touch outraged) What’s horrid about your life now?
Hannah – (ignoring my interjection) Then I’ll come alive again after I die the next time, and I’ll have a happy life, then a sad life, than a happy life, sad life, happy life, sad life…
Me – Do you know what that’s called, when people die and then come alive again?
Hannah – No
Me – Reincarnation, and the people who believe in it think that sometimes they come back to life as an animal, like a beetle or a tiger.
Hannah – Ugh! I won’t, I’ll be a girl every time.
Well at least her life isn’t so horrid that she wants to return as a different species. I suppose I should take some comfort from that.
You must ask her if she can remember who she was before. I am a great believer that some people are ‘old souls’ and others are shiny and new… I may blog about it one day…
Did she not hesitate at all after the beetle suggestion?
You know, think she might be onto something here. I mean, isn’t one of the most popular world religions founded on somewhat similar principle? Okay, no repeats allowed, granted, but life after death rings a few bells somewhere…
M&M – I asked her and she said “no, this is my first time”. My Mum reckoned she was talking to previous residents of her bedroom when she told me about her invisible friends that used to stop her from going to sleep. I had to tell them to be quiet so Hannah could get to sleep some nights.
SAHD – no, she’s utterly confident that it won’t be her
MatL – yes there are similarities, but isn’t that the case with a lot of religious beliefs?
Yes – I’ve seen this in my own children. I think it’s beautiful.