"The breath of life is in the sunlight and the hand of life is in the wind" Kahlil Gibran
It is difficult to work through problems we have without losing ourselves in the process. It is easy to get caught up in wanting to be right and wanting to be justified and wanting the other person to recognise that we too have been suffering. How do we let go of these strong feelings and demands and just be willing to listen to another's? How do we get over our own needs and longings in order to be present for someone else? Even while we judge them and want to be away from all of this? Can we just let it go?
If I just can stop and look out at the ocean or the trees and remember what is beautiful and what is real in front of me, then I can let go. If I remember to breathe and instead go for a run or some other sought of movement this can take me into myself and my body - not so much thinking and dwelling.
A cool breeze and some sunlight are beautiful reminders of being here now and dealing with what is before me right now.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Showing up
"A good heart conquers all" proverb
Sometimes it's easy to get caught up in the anger of injustices and suffering which we see all around us. Especially when it comes to children we have seen growing up since they were babies. When you see all of their potential and beauty then over time they become consumed by the circumstances surrounding them on a daily basis, and their behaviour starts to reflect the disfunctional behaviour of the outside world. I have found this incredibly painful to watch as these children move from being free, to being survivors and so incredibly defended. But in the past couple of weeks I have come to realise that it is important not to lose track of who they are for their sakes as well as our own. To help them to reconnect with their inner world, I need to just be present with them and reflective of the qualities which will hold them in good steed theoughout their lives.
Carrying silent anger only adds to the problems and doesn't help anyone least of all ourselves.
Sometimes it's easy to get caught up in the anger of injustices and suffering which we see all around us. Especially when it comes to children we have seen growing up since they were babies. When you see all of their potential and beauty then over time they become consumed by the circumstances surrounding them on a daily basis, and their behaviour starts to reflect the disfunctional behaviour of the outside world. I have found this incredibly painful to watch as these children move from being free, to being survivors and so incredibly defended. But in the past couple of weeks I have come to realise that it is important not to lose track of who they are for their sakes as well as our own. To help them to reconnect with their inner world, I need to just be present with them and reflective of the qualities which will hold them in good steed theoughout their lives.
Carrying silent anger only adds to the problems and doesn't help anyone least of all ourselves.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
The Wonder of Community
What makes a community grow? I think there are many ingredients such as commitment to sharing and compassion for our neighbours. Also inclusiveness in terms of looking beneath our exteriors, noticing when somebody or families are left out. Being real and setting up ways in which everyone can come together and have fun but also come together and talk about the deep stuff, the things which concern us from time to time. It is these concerns whcih get overlooked and grow into something bigger than what is really there that affect us the most at any level.
We need to be brave and speak out when we see injustices but we also need to be aware of being incensitive and negative towards our friends in order to justify our own feelings of overwhelm or inadequacy around difficult topics and situations. Most of all, we need to keep the door open, both figuritively and realistically. Have many entry points so that people can come and go and return in ways which make it easy for them when they are ready and need to. We can't always get it right in our expression or our responses or our actions no matter how hard we try, but we can remain humble and be willing to listen when someone in our community needs us and needs us to take care. Care and kindness are the way through most patches and offer the most creative solutions. I am grateful for my brave friends that come back for me and chose not to leave me behind when things get tricky or I get distracted.
Monday, October 10, 2011
Life/balance
"It's difficult to think anything but pleasant thoughts while eting a home-grown tomato"
Lewis Grizzard
One of the biggest challenges in our modern life is to make our way through our life in a way that feels calm and joyful. Too often I find myself saying yes to so many things that sound interesting, helpful, neccessary even. But eventually these too many things build up and I feel crazy inside myself. No room to breathe inside myself, feeling trapped and controlled. I then turn into some sort of manic control freak in response to these feelings of overwhelm. When I look around I see that this overwhelm has become an ordinary way of living and completely acceptable in our society. This is in despite of the adds for yoga retreats and the quiet of running shoes on the pavement. Advertising reflect our longings and then distorts them into the longing for the products which will achieve this inner calm for us.
So how to stop the world and get off and stay on it at the same time? The earth seems a beautiful place to begin. I had the pleasure of a friend coming to tea and we sat out on the grass sipping hot water and lemon in the sunshine. Warmth on my skin, the coolness of the grass beneath my feet, the smell of the salty air and a fresh breeze blowing through the trees, all conducive to feelings of calm and joy. Much laughter bubbled, it's really hard to feel anxious or that things need to be done. What is required is friends to support these circumstances, that know you don't need to be buisy to have a full life and to encourage us to fill our lives with small time fun.
Lewis Grizzard
One of the biggest challenges in our modern life is to make our way through our life in a way that feels calm and joyful. Too often I find myself saying yes to so many things that sound interesting, helpful, neccessary even. But eventually these too many things build up and I feel crazy inside myself. No room to breathe inside myself, feeling trapped and controlled. I then turn into some sort of manic control freak in response to these feelings of overwhelm. When I look around I see that this overwhelm has become an ordinary way of living and completely acceptable in our society. This is in despite of the adds for yoga retreats and the quiet of running shoes on the pavement. Advertising reflect our longings and then distorts them into the longing for the products which will achieve this inner calm for us.
So how to stop the world and get off and stay on it at the same time? The earth seems a beautiful place to begin. I had the pleasure of a friend coming to tea and we sat out on the grass sipping hot water and lemon in the sunshine. Warmth on my skin, the coolness of the grass beneath my feet, the smell of the salty air and a fresh breeze blowing through the trees, all conducive to feelings of calm and joy. Much laughter bubbled, it's really hard to feel anxious or that things need to be done. What is required is friends to support these circumstances, that know you don't need to be buisy to have a full life and to encourage us to fill our lives with small time fun.
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