Meet the New Kid

The part of us that makes meaning from what the body experiences.

If the Old Guardian is the body's ancient protector, then the New Kid is the storyteller.

The New Kid is the part of us that thinks, imagines, plans, remembers, reflects, and tries to make sense of our experiences.

It's curious.

Creative.

Thoughtful.

It asks questions.

It solves problems.

It dreams about the future.

For most of our lives, we're taught to understand this thinking system.

We learn about intelligence.

Learning styles.

Personality.

Motivation.

Mindset.

Character.

But we rarely learn something just as important.

The thinking mind doesn't work alone.

It works in partnership with the body.

Before the New Kid ever begins explaining what is happening, the Old Guardian has already been gathering information.

It has already noticed the room.

The faces.

The tone of voice.

The predictability.

The sense of belonging.

The possibility of danger.

By the time the New Kid begins telling a story, the body has already reached countless conclusions without using words.

The New Kid then tries to explain those conclusions.

Sometimes those explanations are remarkably accurate.

Sometimes they aren't.

But they almost always make sense based on what the body has experienced.

This is why two people can experience the same event and leave with completely different stories.

Their bodies didn't gather the same evidence.

Their Old Guardians didn't reach the same conclusions.

So their New Kids created different meanings.

Understanding this partnership changes everything.

Instead of believing thoughts appear out of nowhere, we begin asking a different question.

What experiences might have led the body to this story?

That question replaces judgment with curiosity.

The New Kid is not the enemy.

It is doing what human beings have always done.

Trying to make sense of the world.

The more clearly we understand the Old Guardian, the more compassion we can have for the stories the New Kid creates.

Because our stories don't appear in isolation.

They grow from the experiences our bodies have lived.