Start Quote
I am often asked if I am now living authentically
after following the Simple Abundance path for the last four years.
Some moments, some hours, some days
feel holy right, completely authentic.
And more frequently than not,
I can attest that my conversations with
family, friends, colleagues,
even acquaintances and strangers are authentic encounters.
So are my choices, even the difficult ones,
and my joys, my griefs, my hopes, my loves.
But every minute of every day is not yet authentic.
I think it takes an entire lifetime to live authentically.
It is the striving to be authentic that makes you so,
not the end result.
When you think you've arrived,
you realize you've come all this way
just to prepare yourself to begin again.
The biggest surprise on the soulful journey to authenticity,
whether as a philosophy or a spiritual path,
is that the path is spiral.
We go up, but we go in circles.
Each time around, the view gets a little bit wider...
Circles are found at sacred sites throughout the world.
There is a circular maze at the base of Chartres Cathedral in France.
The gigantic prehistoric sculptures at Stonehenge, England...
If we search for circles, we will find them everywhere.
Plato believed the soul was a circle.
If it is, and the authentic self is the Soul made visible,
how could our awakening to authenticity [not be] circular?
I am reminded of just how much of a spiral the authentic journey is
when I get stuck in a set of circumstances
from which escape seems impossible.
When this occurs, I ask myself,
"What's the lesson here, so that I can move on?"
I usually discover that I've stopped using the principles
of Simple Abundance as my stepping-stones to Wholeness.
I've been TOO BUSY to write in my gratitude journal;
I've begun dropping in my tracks
because I've been unable to say "no";
I'm cranky because my house is cluttered and I can't find anything;
I'm frazzled because I've let myself forget that
moments of solitude and meditation are necessary to center myself.
[Too busy to pray.
Too busy to read my scriptures.
Too busy to go to church.
Too busy to sleep enough.
Too busy to make time with friends and family.]
I've been [on] this route many times.
I KNOW that if I'm not experiencing harmony in my daily round,
I'm not participating in the process.
So I start again.
Begin at the beginning.
Make gratitude an active rather than a passive prayer,
consciously bring simplicity and order to my daily round,
honor moments of BEING rather than of doing.
It's not enough to know or write about Simple Abundance;
When I do resume living by my own lights,
I usually discover that I'm able to move on.
But even if I can't change my outside circumstances,
Simple Abundance enables me to change how I react to them.
"The life we want is not merely the one
we have chosen and made...
It is the one we must be choosing and making."
End Quote
It's a lifetime adventure.
Don't be discouraged if you feel like you'll never get there.
It's just the circle of life.
And that's what makes it beautiful.
You'll never reach the end, you'll just keep going.
***
Gratitude Journal
***
1) Oh my goodness! I actually did it. We haven't slept in like 2 days because of all the crying. And this afternoon I got all three kids to sleep with me in my bed. So they all cry if I'm not holding them, and after three days of crying I just couldn't do it anymore, so somehow I got them all to fall asleep in my arms or spooning me. And no one rang the doorbell, and when someone woke up and cried I got them back to sleep without waking anyone else up. It was a miracle. And then because they got some sleep they felt a little better...I can't wait till this is all over. I hate to see them in pain, and not sleeping...I hate not sleeping.
2) Robbie's uncle bringing us In-N-Out. Jacob was so happy that he ran out and hugged him. It was adorable. And of course because I haven't had any adult interaction, or sleep, for like 3 days, I was awkward as all heck. But ya know, whatever.
3) Water. Clean water. And that we have access to clean water, like all the time. I'm super grateful.
4) The kids are feeling a little bit better. Hopefully every day will just get a little bit easier. Today they actually ate and drank something.
5) Cuddling with the kids. They aren't going to be little forever, one day they might not even want to hug me. And even though it's kind of crazy to have three littles who are slobbering all over you because of the sores in their mouths, and legs and feet and knees and elbows are in every nook and cranny...I wouldn't have it any other way. Those little hands in mine...It's the best thing in the world.
6) The Office.
"There's a lot of beauty in ordinary things. Isn't that kind of the point?" - Pam
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