When death can come at a blink of an eye without warning, how
do we know this moment isn't our last?
How is it that we take so many moments for granted when each
one is just as important as any other?
Is the argument with a loved one more important than the
moment you agree to disagree and hug and say I love you?
What if this day were your last? What legacy will you leave?
What will your last words be?
What if today is the first of 40, 50, and 60 more years of life?
What will you start your journey off with? Love? Anger?
Depression? Passion? Curiosity?
Each moment we have may be the end of a cycle or a
beginning. Each moment matters and no matter what is happening right now, in
this moment you get to choose what you are doing, thinking, feeling...
In this moment you can change the questions in your mind and
redirect the focus of your life.
If you are sitting in anger, guilt, rage, depression,
loss... at any point you can shift this.
When we lose a loved one, we can become flooded with so many
"shadow" emotions and thoughts. Go ahead and feel all of this. Sit
with it, and move through it. And come to the space were too you discover loss
is also beautiful. Our loved one is now in a place they no longer are
experiencing the suffering of the human condition.
In Buddhism there is a saying, “suffer what there is to
suffer and enjoy what there is to enjoy”.
In many cultures, mourning is extremely important to go through. Key
phrase here, “go through”. Not to stay stuck in, not to avoid, not to overcome
or conquer but rather, “to go through”. Experience it and once you move through
it, keep moving. The sense of mourning will touch you from time to time and
remember, the richness of life is meant for us all.
Most folks on their death bed have not pondered the regret
of; “I wish I had worked more, been lazier, fought more, or stayed in depression
or anger longer”. Most that have the time to ponder how they have lived their
lives think if they had it to do over, they would have lived more, enjoyed
more, loved more, laughed more, had more fun. If you stop living fully, are you
not only cheating yourself but cheating the life teachings of those that have
passed, even those we see as having passed too soon?
If you had another chance, what would you do
differently? What can you do NOW? What
CAN you do right NOW? FAR MORE THAN YOU MAY REALIZE!
Understand that through thousands of years and through many
cultural beliefs, religious doctrine and the like, there is much agreement with
the idea of life’s purpose for us all is to be of service, to appreciate, enjoy
and experience richly the offerings of life (birth, suffering, pleasure and
death), to learn, and to love deeply.
We are all one... we are all part of this one heart beat and
each decision to live richly brings more strength, joy and healing to us
all.
There is a cross roads here where you can make a decision to
live as joyous and as giving as possible and experience the richness of life for
yourself and for those that cannot.
This crossroads exist in all steps of our journey. At any
given moment you can say, “ok, now is the moment I am shifting my direction. “
And then step in a new direction.
Those emotions of guilt, shame, anger, and blame are not
here to destroy us, they are here as teachers and guides. Do not sit with them
for long because they can become the trickster if given too much attention.
Simply listen to their guidance and move forwards. Have these emotions guided us to see mistakes
we have made? Then do what you can to learn how to stop repeating those
mistakes. Step joyously into the lessons. Learn from a love directed focus.
Have you ever said a statement like this: “I have learned to
never trust anyone again”? This is not loved based learning. This is fear based
learning. Learning from the lesson of blame or anger, etc. This is staying
stuck. If you have been hurt, then learn to let go of the attachment of others
and to truly step into the connectedness with others. Learn to let go of the
expectations of others and start to live and vibrate at a space that brings you
joy and confidence in yourself and in your own life and the universe will line
up to support your focus and your investments.
If life feels painful and you feel stuck, seek counseling,
natural healers, and / or life coaches for assistance. Read books that guide
you to refocus your thoughts. Start to get involved with activities and people
that are fun, uplifting, positive, joyful, and interesting, etc… start to take
classes, read books, have conversations that challenge you and help you to expand
your thinking, your abilities physically, emotionally, and mentally, etc…
Your life is your responsibility. We cannot control life or
death. We cannot control the way others live, behave or talk. But we can
control ourselves. We can participate in our own personal investments and do
the work towards shifting ourselves, moment to moment. In the beginning, it is moment to moment and
as you grow and practice mindfulness and love based living and loved based
learning you will notice effort becomes easy. At times days, weeks and months
can pass and you notice you are living your shift without much effort. You will
realize that paddling your boat downstream is a much easier tasks then paddling
upstream. You may run into rapids from time to time but you will have the
confidence and the abilities to direct your life in the direction you wish no
matter what is coming your way.
Like a pro kayaker, in time, you’ll be ridding the current
with joy and skill.
I wish you a happy,
loving journey.
