The Momentary Best

How do you find that place between good enough and doing your best?  Experiment!  This process is both an art and a science.  Try different things in different ways and feel your way to it.  That place changes all the time.  Think of a meal.  You're having guests over, you find the perfect Iron Chef recipe, carefully select the ingredients, and meticulously prepare it.  You know it's the "best" you've ever done.  Does that mean that since you raised the bar, every meal you make has to be that good or it’s not good enough?  Or can your best be any meal that nourishes the body and was made with love?  Or can it be a bag of take out as you run to a class/meeting/movie?  Who's judging?  That's what I love about yoga.  It's not trial and error; it's exploration and discovery.  Allowing your best to vary according to the present circumstances keeps life alive and dynamic and full of possibilities.  If we found our "best" and locked it there so we always met that minimum standard, we couldn't do worse but we also couldn't do better.  You can put this question into your heart or out to the Universe: What does this moment require of me?  Your own wisdom will recognize the answer and your body will feel at ease.

Regarding the guilt of less than perfect, yikes!  Of course there are times when we just drop the ball.  But sometimes it's our need to control the Universe that triggers a thought like "I didn't do enough," "I'm not good enough," or "I failed."  There's a faith practice that says "My best is always enough, whatever that is in the moment."  That doesn't mean that everything has a successful outcome; it can mean disaster!  Guilt comes from the belief that things are only supposed to turn out a certain way.  Back to possibilities!  It's this Shiva energy (lord of destruction) that disrupts our rhythm to draw our attention to something that needs to change.  It's all in service to our Soul's curriculum.  If you're always late to a specific appointment you can feel guilty or you can evaluate the situation to find a better solution; or you can be late without beating yourself up for it because the way it is right now just happens to be late.

Spirituality

Spirituality is our sacred, immaterial reality, the inner aspect of our being, and what gives meaning to our life.  It connects the deepest part of our individuality with the expansiveness of the Universal reality, our humanity with our divinity.  Its approach is holographic in nature as the whole is contained in each and every part.  We experience that “One with All” through our awareness of this moment.  Spirituality is the exploration and discovery our Soul.

A Valuable Existence

I was hatched, punched, pressed and molded into existence along with thousands of other staplers on that day.  Packed, shipped and ready to serve, I waited in a cold warehouse.  My friends told me not to get too excited because staplers have a short life span.  As soon as we jam once our owner is likely to replace us.  So here I am, sitting alone and neglected.  It was exciting at first being able to perform flawlessly time after time.  I felt important and of value in an office dedicated to productivity.  I was a part of something larger than myself and I went to sleep each night satisfied with an honest day's work.
 
Then one day I was moved aside.  It was incomprehensible to think that I was not doing my job.  I was more consistent than any other item in the office, especially that copier!  But here it came.  With batteries.  An electric version of myself which only required one hand to operate.  Simply slide in the papers and a sensor triggered the stapler to fire.  How efficient!  I will admit that I was envious, even jealous.  It was difficult to be bypassed by a younger, better version of myself.  And to watch it from afar on top of the file cabinet when I used to sit prominently front and center on the desk!  What do they all think of me now that I am obsolete?  Do they know how I feel?  Or that I feel?  I have not changed at all.  I can still do all I have ever done.  Yet my usefulness has expired.  Sigh.

So I tell you, my friends, we never know our fate as we step into our existence.  All we can be is ourselves.  To do what we came to do to the best of our ability, regardless of the value others see in us is sufficient.  Hold your head high and know that you were created in as perfect a light as all others.  And if you feel your light dim, step out of the shadows and shine.  As long as you exist, you matter.    

In the beginning was the word ...

The process of writing an article, selecting an outlet for it, then submitting it for publication was a lot like having kids.  You make them, groom them, and refine them.  You try out all kinds of outfits on them to see which fits.  Then you send them out into the world in the hope they they don't come right back.  Kind of kidding!  Really it was a complete creative process.  From beginning to end, the excitement grew.  It was just an assignment at first to be completed for credit.  The closer I came to this last week the more I secretly hoped that someone might read my article then actually select over all the others.  I can see me doing this article submission again.  It looks a lot easier than having another kid!  

Thought Lines

This assignment, since I chose to accept it is to free write without thinking or editing.  Even so, I titled this piece "Thought Lines."  So here I am at about the middle of my program with the bulk of my coursework behind me.  This writing class has really sparked some creativity in me.  Believe it or not, when I was in high school I was picked to be the future editor of the New York Times!  30 years later and I am finally tapping into my natural abilities.  Not that I have any real talent for writing, or even much along the lines of editing, but I like the creative process.  I used to write in journals then throw them away before they could be seen.  Or maybe I was afraid to re-read them and see who I was for myself.  I think I've been hesitant to commit my thoughts to paper in fear of being discovered.  So what's new today?  I have a laundry list of assignments to plow through this week.  Sometimes I think I can't do any one of them justice because they get lost in the pile.  I wish my classes were spread out more but my objective was to get as much done before high school football begins in August.  I adore my 3 boys and am blessed that they still want me to be a part of their stuff.  The balancing act between being their mom and working full time and school full time is worth the trickery.  They used to drain me (aka: suck the life out of me) but then someone told me that it was all in your approach to your service.  If you acted out of resentment and obligation you were going to drain.  If you acted out of love and caring you would replenish.  I don't always get it right but I love the irony that my teenagers are teaching me to get a better attitude.  So I'm feeling kind of melancholy, if you can't tell.  A little ho-hum about this post lacking wit and levity.  But this is me in this moment.  

Extraordinarily Inspired

Caroline Myss is a spiritual teacher who says that there is no such thing as an ordinary moment.  If you're having it, it matters.  The Dalai Lama says that he has never met an ordinary person.  This is what inspires me: finding the awe in every day moments.  The more present you are, the more open and aware you are to inspiration.  A simple perspective would be that motivation comes from outside of you and inspiration comes from inside of you.  Its source may be external but it resonates internally.  When writing, I can recognize inspiration because my inner voice is doing the work rather than my mind.  The flow of ideas is also differentiated by more right-brain engagement.  For me, writer's block is more likely to appear when I'm trying to fit round words into a square format.

The Wisdom of Ethan

Some people know who they are from the moment they are born.  Such is Ethan. He hears his own drum and marches only to it.  It is not within him to live outside of himself nor to take any unnecessary actions.

At seven years old he came down with a virus that really set him back for several days.  All he could do was lay there as his body fought the infection.  After several days when his color returned, his mother encouraged him to go outside to play. Ethan's immediate response was, "But why would I want to do that?  Then all that rest would go to waste."

That boy has an old soul.