Sometimes one is struck by the goodness and care of people and how they bring kindness into the world. Sometimes one can only be grateful for this care. They remind us that the true purpose of life is best understood in terms of our capacity to receive and give love. The human heart is at its deepest and the mind most spacious when we act in accord with this capacity.
In the evening of life, we will be judged on love alone.
St John of the Cross
Each friend represents a world in us,
a world possibly not born until they arrive.
Anais Nin
Everything has to do with loving and not loving. Rumi
Sometimes we know things better when we get some moments of calm. We can sense things easier. We see that there is something profound in people, something that yearns. It is sometimes covered up by fear and defences. It can get hassled and rushed. But it is there. We do not necessarily know what to call it. But that “something” is good.
You sense it on a quiet morning, sitting with a coffee, when thoughts about the meaning of this life come easy. And after thoughts the memories come…… warm memories, about the goodness of people, their smile and the love that has been given to you in your life.
And you can trust. You sense that, somewhere, beneath the daily routine, beyond the constant planning you engage in, goodness is slowly coming into being. Your sitting may be nothing more than getting out of the way and allowing that happen. You see that kindness and love is what you seek, and it is never far away. You see this clearer as you get older. It has been constant all your life. It is the same in those you love. And it comes closer and closer.
Even after all this time
The sun never says to the earth,
“You owe Me.”
Look what happens
With a love like that,
It lights the
Whole Sky.
Hafiz
Even as the stone of the fruit must break, that its heart may stand in the sun, so must you know pain.
And could you keep in your heart the miracles of your life, your pain would not seem less wondrous than your joy;
And you would accept the seasons of your heart, even as you have always accepted the seasons that pass over your fields.
And you would watch with serenity through the winters of your grief.
Kahil Gibran The Prophet
Life dances and you have to dance with it, whether it is taking you on a wonderful ride or is stepping on your toes. This is the necessary price and transcendent gift of being incarnate; alive in a body. But it is just life dancing. Life will move you in the rhythm and direction of its own nature. Each moment is a fresh moment in the dance, and if you are lost in clinging to the past or clinging to your fears of the future, you are not present for the dance.
Philip Moffitt
Within each one of us lies great potential, the potential to relate ot others and this world in a more authentic way. However, not every potential is fulfilled. Sometimes, it is a fear of change or a fear to take a risk which blocks the development, creating a narrowness of attention and a loss of confidence. We can doubt whether we have the strength to do what is before us, or we sometimes can be held back by what others or convention dictates. Courage is needed to reach our full potential and allow situations emerge. Developing our future happiness can demand that we take the risk to engage with our lives.
Every day we unconsciously take refuge in something that we think will offer us security and protection. It can be fear, as it seems better not to reach out or not to try new things. It is easier to remain in our comfort zone, preferring to avoid possible scenarios. It has been shown that whether we make positive – “approach goals” – or mainly negative, – “avoidance goals” – can lead to the difference between a life that is thriving and a life that is focused on surviving. Often when a future outcome is not clear, the first instinct is to move away. As recent posts stated, we can be dominated by experiences in the past, conscious or unconscious , or the fear of the future. We can get stuck, unable to see the rich, fluid potential of now.
How can we create a space where we’re not trapped by negativity and respond more fully to the richness offered in this moment? We begin by settling the mind, settling the body, and getting in touch with the breath. When we stay in the here-and-now, we can see the stories that arise continually much more clearly. Now is now. There is not another now. If we realize that, we stop putting things off and engage in our life in a more wholehearted way.
Meditation helps our mind to not dwell on what might happen or on what we have lost. If we practice setting our minds on those things all the time, we can miss the fact that each moment is fresh, offering a new start. In meditation we strengthen confidence in our natural mind, which is limitless. Working in this way reduces the fear of the future, allowing us create ourselves afresh. We step out onto the floor and take the chance. We accept the other’s hand. We dance. The greatest sadness is not the possibility that we will appear foolish; it is that we will not get up off our seat.
Mindfulbalance 