By being me, doing what is calling me, and honoring that in my life. I had written a note to myself years ago that says….”if you had listened to yourself instead of others, what would you have done or left by the path of life?” and then I listed the things I would have done differently. And after that I started listening to myself. That was the big YES for me.
There’s a woman on my weekly zoom who seems to be doing that so much more impressively than I – she was given a life expectancy of 3 yrs – and that was 5 yrs ago! I might live as much as a quarter century now, so I laze around contentedly a lot of the time. 🙂
When I cut a piece of wood, it takes care. I cut in a specific zone. Not too far on the waste side (the past) of the line. But at the same time, be careful to not cut either on the line or over the line (the future). The big YES comes from cutting right beside the line (now). It requires care and precision.
I approach my life as if it is a roller coaster ride that has ups, downs, twists, and turns. As best as I can, I relax and go where the ride takes me. In my better moments, I trust God and enjoy the ride.
Dear Brother Ben, you answer reminds me of an essay in a yoga magazine responding to the question of whether you’d rather be steering the boat down the rapids yourself or trusting some higher power to do it. I felt safer with the higher power. 🙂
hmm– I re-read the question in light of the word for the day about the role of perception. Then I listened to someone on the radio saying… I heard my perception: based on fears, then expanded it a bit … acceptance of the adventure of living in a society that by enlarge supports and promotes disparity and divisiveness, and being mindful as to not getting caught up with anything other than compassion and the importance of expanding my perceptions to include the innate capacity for compassion and wisdom. At this moment my opinion is that it is innate to the human condition that abandonment and shunning, as we do with those who are homeless and hungry, leaves people suffering of not having safety needs met today and in the future. We will continue to impose this suffering on each other until we take up the challenges of expanding toward ending the suffering within ourselves en-masse.
I can live a big YES to the adventure of my life by pursuing knowledge continually and being willing to explore new domains, like lucid dreaming and vision quests, so that I can grow spiritually through direct experience of transcendence.
By not resisting and by being available to the moment. Like swimming in a river or the ocean, you can’t fight it, you need to work with it, or else you’ll struggle and struggle until you’re exhausted.
Yes is living out of that who we are. There may be any stimulus, which is already a given fact for this moment. It makes no sense to say no. It would bring suffering only. Once this yes is there, I accept life, which is always this very moment. After the yes I can think how to react to this stimulus intelligently and lovingly for me and my surrounding. Then the reaction follows. My freedom as a human being is exactly and only in between stimulus and reaction.
I read poetry each morning before coming to this site and often, serendipitously*, I read something that relates to the question of the day. That happened today so I’ll share a set of questions that add to this one.
From Which It All Began
Bernadette Miller
Tell me, what
would you do today
if you knew your life
to be a celebration
of this world?
Would you stop
to gather sunlight
dropping soundlessly
upon pines
beyond your window pane?
Would you court
dreams too wide
for the container
of consciousness?
Would you linger
in the terrible beauty
of uncertainty
as if the fullness of the world
depended upon your presence?
Would you cast your hopes
upon possibilities that abide
only in departure?
Would you become the motion
of your song,
losing itself in overtones
of delight
or despair
and returning, finally,
to the stillness
from which it all began?
By not denying myself loving others, even if I realize not all of them are good for me to interact with. I tend to be very willing to extend love to nearly anyone I meet, even others who most people find difficult to deal with, but at a certain point it’s OK to no longer interact with someone when they turn abusive. I think for me saying “yes” is accepting that I love people even at their worse, even if I realize that not everyone is ready to offer love and kindness. I just had someone cursing me out (really though, they seem to just be in a weird place) that I was trying to be kind to and funnily, I don’t feel upset at them, I feel it’s a bit funny, not right for me as a friend and that I care about them and hope it all works out. I’m sort of amazed how much I don’t get upset by things and I think the big part is I don’t deny myself loving others, even if I cease interaction with them, the love and genuine affection for them never really stops. I seem to have for some reason a lot of love for everyone, even really difficult people so that’s how I remain open to life, I don’t deny myself loving ever. It’s odd to me though how much forgiveness and love I feel for really, really, really difficult people and how nothing seems to faze me or cause me to become closed off since everything negative others do, even if I realize the behaviors are not good and I need to extricate myself from those situations, I return with an instinctive I LOVE YOU and forgive you.
Today is International Drop a Rock Day. I found a rock while staying at the Gaylord Palms one day – it was so much fun and instantly put a huge smile on my face. I now have it in my front rock garden:)
Thank you, Barb – that reminds me of what I saw on the beach one day, ‘written’ in something like kelp: “I ((Heart)) YOU THIS MUCH” – I love the photo I took and have made it into a number of greeting cards.
Worry less.
Do more.
Ignore complaints (especiallly my own!)
Relish the day’s opportunities.
Listen to people, give them time.
Stop making excuses not to try new things.
Give yourself the gift of free bi-monthly inspiration including uplifting articles, diverse stories, supportive practices, videos, and more, delivered with heart to your inbox.
By being me, doing what is calling me, and honoring that in my life. I had written a note to myself years ago that says….”if you had listened to yourself instead of others, what would you have done or left by the path of life?” and then I listed the things I would have done differently. And after that I started listening to myself. That was the big YES for me.
There’s a woman on my weekly zoom who seems to be doing that so much more impressively than I – she was given a life expectancy of 3 yrs – and that was 5 yrs ago! I might live as much as a quarter century now, so I laze around contentedly a lot of the time. 🙂
When I cut a piece of wood, it takes care. I cut in a specific zone. Not too far on the waste side (the past) of the line. But at the same time, be careful to not cut either on the line or over the line (the future). The big YES comes from cutting right beside the line (now). It requires care and precision.
I approach my life as if it is a roller coaster ride that has ups, downs, twists, and turns. As best as I can, I relax and go where the ride takes me. In my better moments, I trust God and enjoy the ride.
Dear Brother Ben, you answer reminds me of an essay in a yoga magazine responding to the question of whether you’d rather be steering the boat down the rapids yourself or trusting some higher power to do it. I felt safer with the higher power. 🙂
hmm– I re-read the question in light of the word for the day about the role of perception. Then I listened to someone on the radio saying… I heard my perception: based on fears, then expanded it a bit … acceptance of the adventure of living in a society that by enlarge supports and promotes disparity and divisiveness, and being mindful as to not getting caught up with anything other than compassion and the importance of expanding my perceptions to include the innate capacity for compassion and wisdom. At this moment my opinion is that it is innate to the human condition that abandonment and shunning, as we do with those who are homeless and hungry, leaves people suffering of not having safety needs met today and in the future. We will continue to impose this suffering on each other until we take up the challenges of expanding toward ending the suffering within ourselves en-masse.
I think the Word for the Day today summarizes (a big part of) it quite well.
I can live a big YES to the adventure of my life by pursuing knowledge continually and being willing to explore new domains, like lucid dreaming and vision quests, so that I can grow spiritually through direct experience of transcendence.
By not resisting and by being available to the moment. Like swimming in a river or the ocean, you can’t fight it, you need to work with it, or else you’ll struggle and struggle until you’re exhausted.
Yes is living out of that who we are. There may be any stimulus, which is already a given fact for this moment. It makes no sense to say no. It would bring suffering only. Once this yes is there, I accept life, which is always this very moment. After the yes I can think how to react to this stimulus intelligently and lovingly for me and my surrounding. Then the reaction follows. My freedom as a human being is exactly and only in between stimulus and reaction.
I read poetry each morning before coming to this site and often, serendipitously*, I read something that relates to the question of the day. That happened today so I’ll share a set of questions that add to this one.
From Which It All Began
Bernadette Miller
Tell me, what
would you do today
if you knew your life
to be a celebration
of this world?
Would you stop
to gather sunlight
dropping soundlessly
upon pines
beyond your window pane?
Would you court
dreams too wide
for the container
of consciousness?
Would you linger
in the terrible beauty
of uncertainty
as if the fullness of the world
depended upon your presence?
Would you cast your hopes
upon possibilities that abide
only in departure?
Would you become the motion
of your song,
losing itself in overtones
of delight
or despair
and returning, finally,
to the stillness
from which it all began?
https://janicefalls.wordpress.com/2019/07/
*It has long been my observation/belief that serendipity happens when you’re paying attention.
love the word serendipity. My heart and soul awaits for that to happen if/when I ever fall in love again.
as if the fullness of the world
depended upon your presenceTaking this in!
Accepting invitations, chasing opportunities. To follow Br. David’s
Stop, look, go practice.
By not denying myself loving others, even if I realize not all of them are good for me to interact with. I tend to be very willing to extend love to nearly anyone I meet, even others who most people find difficult to deal with, but at a certain point it’s OK to no longer interact with someone when they turn abusive. I think for me saying “yes” is accepting that I love people even at their worse, even if I realize that not everyone is ready to offer love and kindness. I just had someone cursing me out (really though, they seem to just be in a weird place) that I was trying to be kind to and funnily, I don’t feel upset at them, I feel it’s a bit funny, not right for me as a friend and that I care about them and hope it all works out. I’m sort of amazed how much I don’t get upset by things and I think the big part is I don’t deny myself loving others, even if I cease interaction with them, the love and genuine affection for them never really stops. I seem to have for some reason a lot of love for everyone, even really difficult people so that’s how I remain open to life, I don’t deny myself loving ever. It’s odd to me though how much forgiveness and love I feel for really, really, really difficult people and how nothing seems to faze me or cause me to become closed off since everything negative others do, even if I realize the behaviors are not good and I need to extricate myself from those situations, I return with an instinctive I LOVE YOU and forgive you.
A friend of mine found a painted rock on a walk that had the words, The love we give away is the only love we keep.
Today is International Drop a Rock Day. I found a rock while staying at the Gaylord Palms one day – it was so much fun and instantly put a huge smile on my face. I now have it in my front rock garden:)
Thank you, Barb – that reminds me of what I saw on the beach one day, ‘written’ in something like kelp: “I ((Heart)) YOU THIS MUCH” – I love the photo I took and have made it into a number of greeting cards.
Eyes and arms open wide.
Worry less.
Do more.
Ignore complaints (especiallly my own!)
Relish the day’s opportunities.
Listen to people, give them time.
Stop making excuses not to try new things.
Holly, I am glad to see you again 😍
Thank you, Christine! I missed you and everyone here, and the practice. I just got very busy for a while. 🙂
By taking one! I will try to go someplace new this weekend:)