March 10th, 2017
Affirmation: I am responsible for my own actions and consequences.
Word of the Day: stravage (v):
____
Five Things About Life
In all of our lives, there is transformation that occurs somewhere between the first day and the last. These transformations are seldom of the theatrical sort - the clouds don't part and lightning doesn't strike us into an evolved state. Rather, these transformations happen slowly, subtly, over time, often painfully and unnoticed. We cannot force transformation, but we can take steps to facilitate the process. Ultimately, however, life will change us and we will all experience growth and death and rebirth from the sheer act of living.
Here are some of my thoughts about it:
1. The process works. The process of life, that is. You do not have to be a "special" kind of person to have a profound experience in life. You just have to show up fully every day.
2. The goal of never messing up is a terrifying, paralyzing, and tense tightrope walk. The goal of handling your "mess ups" with self-compassion, humility, and vulnerability can be softer, more graceful, more inspiring, and more fun.
3. Courage and confidence are not the same thing. Both are important. And both can coexist with fear.
4. There is no single right way to do anything.
5. Too often, feelings arrive too soon, waiting for thoughts that often come too late. Too often, the opposite happens. Either way, neither thoughts nor feelings define who we are.
Before I share my thoughts, what do courage and confidence mean to you? Are they different? Are they the same? What is an example of each? What are the opposites of courage and confidence? How do courage and confidence feel in your body? In your mind?
Affirmation: I am responsible for my own actions and consequences.
Word of the Day: stravage (v):
1. Scot., Irish, and North England. To
wander aimlessly.
2. to saunter;
stroll.
Buoyancy
I saw you and became
empty.
This emptiness, more beautiful than existence,
it obliterates existence, and yet when it comes,
existence thrives and creates more existence.
This emptiness, more beautiful than existence,
it obliterates existence, and yet when it comes,
existence thrives and creates more existence.
To praise is to praise
how one surrenders to the emptiness.
how one surrenders to the emptiness.
To praise the sun is to
praise your own eyes.
Praise, the ocean. What we say, a little ship.
Praise, the ocean. What we say, a little ship.
So the sea-journey goes
on, and who knows where?
Just to be held by the ocean is the best luck
we could have. It is a total waking-up.
Just to be held by the ocean is the best luck
we could have. It is a total waking-up.
Why should we grieve that
we have been sleeping?
It does not matter how long we've been unconscious.
We are groggy, but let the guilt go.
It does not matter how long we've been unconscious.
We are groggy, but let the guilt go.
Feel the motions of
tenderness
around you, the buoyancy.
around you, the buoyancy.
____
Five Things About Life
In all of our lives, there is transformation that occurs somewhere between the first day and the last. These transformations are seldom of the theatrical sort - the clouds don't part and lightning doesn't strike us into an evolved state. Rather, these transformations happen slowly, subtly, over time, often painfully and unnoticed. We cannot force transformation, but we can take steps to facilitate the process. Ultimately, however, life will change us and we will all experience growth and death and rebirth from the sheer act of living.
Here are some of my thoughts about it:
1. The process works. The process of life, that is. You do not have to be a "special" kind of person to have a profound experience in life. You just have to show up fully every day.
2. The goal of never messing up is a terrifying, paralyzing, and tense tightrope walk. The goal of handling your "mess ups" with self-compassion, humility, and vulnerability can be softer, more graceful, more inspiring, and more fun.
3. Courage and confidence are not the same thing. Both are important. And both can coexist with fear.
4. There is no single right way to do anything.
5. Too often, feelings arrive too soon, waiting for thoughts that often come too late. Too often, the opposite happens. Either way, neither thoughts nor feelings define who we are.
Before I share my thoughts, what do courage and confidence mean to you? Are they different? Are they the same? What is an example of each? What are the opposites of courage and confidence? How do courage and confidence feel in your body? In your mind?
Why should we grieve that we have been sleeping? the poet asks.
ReplyDeleteHow we ever get to wrap our minds or hearts around the suffering caused to a loved one due to our being 'asleep'?
The answer is in the poem: "let the guilt go"
ReplyDelete(and "Feel the motions of tenderness around you"