Let’s Get Real
The deathlike smoky orange-cast sky
A dark, surreal, apocalyptic sight
The smoke is high and the fog is low,
and we are left with their eerie glow
A snapshot of a later time
when the world is lifeless and we are gone
Our imperative to adapt our wasteful needs,
to survive our ignorance and greedy deeds
Is it too late, or is there still time?
Isn’t life worth more than a lousy dime?
Being in the Now, An Affirmation
Each day I wake up and make a decision:
Do I rehash the pain of my past?
Do I rehearse for meeting my fears in the future?
Or do I live in the now of life?
Is my life directed by my inner critic
who is forever saying that I am
not as I should be, or that I should feel
guilt and shame about what I didn’t do, or what I
should have done better?
Or do I choose to live my life as who I truly am,
The awareness who observes my words, feelings, bodily sensations…
As an expression of compassion and loving-kindness towards myself and
towards others?
It Is So Easy to React
It is so easy to slip back into being a pawn
in our inner critic’s game of attempting
to run our lives.
Our reactions to things said to or about us,
how we are treated, always leave us on edge to react.
The only way that our inner critic has a hold on us
is if we give it energy with our reactions to its ways.
If we don’t react, he or she loses their power in our lives.
So, we need to relate to what is, as “this is the way it is”
Then to “let go” of the way things need to be, or should be…
And, finally, we need to “give ourselves a hug,” as
“No one is more deserving of our loving-kindness than
we are.”
A note of thanks to Mary Grace Orr of Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, California, for her teaching in this area.
If I Awake to Your Pain
If I awake to your pain and react to your
woundedness by judging your words and
behaviour, I need to pause and look inside
of myself.
I need to see my vulnerability and allow myself
to be present, in this moment.
I need to view your behaviour, words, ways,
needs, fears and pain as having a purpose
for you.
I need to realize that you are behaving in the
way you are for some good reason.
Experiencing you at such times allows me to
connect and respond to your humanness and
acknowledge that you are doing the best you
can with what you have to work with, instead of
reacting to some aspect of pain within myself.
Ultimately, we need to treat one another as we
would want to be treated, if we are to survive
as a species, grow and ultimately experience
our potential in this life.
Connecting With the Quietness Within
Connecting with the quietness within,
being one with my inner stillness…
Finding myself responding with tears of joy,
when I witness an act of loving-kindness and
compassion…
Experiencing my shared oneness with all.
The Gift of Being
A meeting,
and connecting…
Being present…
Listening, hearing and
being heard…
The joy of such a gift,
thank you.
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image: Pixabay
