Who of you by worrying?

"Who of you by worrying could add a single hour to your life?"  God tells us not to worry.  He says just don't do it.  "Tomorrow's worries are enough for today."

The Buddhist tradition reminds us to focus on the present moment, because we have no control of the past and no idea of what's about to happen.

Even everyday sayings - "life is what happens when you're busy making plans" - tell us to stop worrying, and stop planning excessively, and just be here now.

It's hard to live in the present moment, and not in our own heads, always dwelling on what's next, but I think it's a worthy goal.

Every single experience

When I see people around me, in any setting, struggling with any problem or any life situation, I often find myself thinking that, somehow, it's all going to be ok for them, because every single experience can lead to something good.  There is always something we can learn about ourselves, there is always some way that we can grow, no matter where we are and what challenges we run into.

So why is it so hard for me to reassure myself of the same thing?  I think that it may be really difficult to recognize our own personal growth.  And maybe that's why, when we are in the midst of a problem, we can't see anything good about it-- because we don't see how we are blossoming and expanding and learning as a result-- and so we feel stuck or overcome by our external circumstances.  All we see are obstacles, because we fail to recognize our own resilience, fortitude, and creativity.

Perhaps, then, one of the simplest ways we can help others is by pointing out or reminding them of all the ways in which they are growing.  Most of the people I know are strong and I am always talking to other people about how persevering and inspiring and amazing my friends and family are -- but I don't always tell them directly!

There is a current

There is a current running underneath everything, which gives us great hope and great humanity.  I know this, rather than believe it, because I have seen it in my own lives and in the lives of others.  There have been times in my life when I have felt so free, so in touch with my own emotions and with others and the world around me.  I seemed to breathe deeper and observe and experience everything more intently.  I loved, not with the shallow radiations of my present emotions and thoughts, but with a strong urge of compassion and care for those around me, which came from a deep groundedness I could feel within myself.

Those were the times when I was most in touch with the current of life, energy, passion, whimsy, and love that flow through all of us.  Most days, we ignore it.  It's easy to forget you have a spirit, a vivacity, an openness within you - from which we can give others our greatest love and understanding and which gives us our most light-hearted, resilient, and happy self.

Certainly, there are things we can do to nurture this energy within ourselves....take long bike rides, cook wholesome meals with patience, practice listening (really listening) to others, allow ourselves time to dwell or meditate on our day or on the beauty of our friendships, watch the waves, or the clouds, or the birds, dance wildly to music, get lost in a game with children, put our hands in the sand or the grass or the earth.  We feel like we are losing time, when we do these things, but there is so much that we gain.  Otherwise, we may see life as merely a collection of minutes and struggles and processes and roads and roadblocks and heartaches and hassles, when instead we could see it as a constantly unfolding adventure of life and love and growth and understanding and friendship.

When are things possible?

Maybe it's possible that God is not going to do anything for us, unless we believe He will.  When I look at members of my family and my friends and see how they suffer, I wonder -- why are they having to go through this?  Where is God now?  Why isn't he opening windows for them, when doors close?  And then I remember a woman I met in Costa Rica, who told me that, as she saw her house shake underneath and around her during a massive earthquake, she prayed to God for His protection and she knew that she and her family would be safe.  And that makes me wonder -- does God wait until we believe He will perform miracles for us, before He will actually perform them?

It also reminds me of the book The Little Engine that Could.  Does believing in ourselves and our own strength also have something to do with it?  Do we actually have more power and capability, when we think we do?

There is also a really fitting message in Streams in the Desert - "Jesus gave thanks for what He was about to receive.  His gratitude sprang forth before the blessing had arrived, in an expression of assurance that it was certainly on its way...  Miracles are performed through spiritual power, and our spiritual power is always in proportion to our faith."

Here's hoping, then, that we will learn how to believe.

Yum.

California avocados are so good, they are inspiring.

Life is hard, and....?

When I watch Six Feet Under, it's somehow a lot easier for me to remember (or believe in the first place) that life is just hard.  And then when I see the struggles of people around me, in "real" life, it becomes more apparent to me still.  It seems I am (and everyone I know is) always going through something..always dealing with something really tough.  But there are phases, things move on, there are seasons - in different years, different things will be tough - and that's good to remember.

Also, if there is always something rather difficult going on....isn't it all the more important, then, that we know how to enjoy each day for its own sake?  Do a little something, just a little something at least, that we love?  Because everything will always be tough...so let's just enjoy the little happinesses.

Living and helping

'Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.'
Howard Thurman