Dealing with thoughts of shortage or yearning

In between activities, in Life’s pauses – or as a seemingly constant inner background – where does the mind go?  Does the mind – do I – go to shortage of something, or yearning for something?  

What is that something?  Peace? Joy?  The experience of being loved?  Time alone?  The company of another?  The touch of another?  Movement or activity?  Energy? Motivation?  The experience of health and vigor?  Alcohol or another drug?  Food?  Money?  Freedom from stress?  Rest? I am familiar with all of those thoughts!

Where does that habit of mind come from?

We know that Life is one choice – conscious or not – after another.  We can change our habits.  We can outgrow habits that do not serve us. 

To begin, do we choose to remain in shortage and yearning, feeling sorry for ourselves, or do we choose a path of self-examination, growth, service and joy?

What sources of joy and gratitude do we have enough of, even an abundance, which offset our perceived shortages, which assuage our yearning, or which at least help put them in a healthful perspective?

Do we bring our consciousness out of anxiety, self-righteousness and self-pity and to cultivation of awareness of our inner Spirit, or inner Source of wisdom and peace; of patience (including with ourselves); of gratitude; and of love?

On discomfort

Where would we be without discomfort?  Without discomfort, we would learn little and be emotionally and intellectually stunted and physically unfit.  We would lack compassion, and have none of the satisfactions of accomplishment and contribution to others.

Yet it is natural to avoid discomfort and, when it occurs, to try to reduce or end it.  Our processes of avoiding and mitigating discomfort, when made conscious, are fascinating to behold and examine.  One sees that Life really is a series of choices of responses to circumstances, many of our own making (intentionally or not) and of course many beyond our control.

I see four main responses to discomfort.  The first is to wait for the circumstances producing our discomfort to end.  The second is to act to end, or escape from, those circumstances as quickly as possible.  

Third, it can help much to be grateful that things are not worse - to be glad that there are countless sources of discomfort which are absent - and to be grateful for our blessings. 

Fourth, by choosing love over fear and flight, we can grow from discomfort.  We can enlarge our capacity to bear discomfort by examining the chain of our individual experiences, judgments and feelings which produce it - and the benefits of embracing it.  We can accept our response of discomfort and forgive ourselves and, when necessary, other people.  We can outgrow, or learn to live with, various discomforts one by one.  We can learn to live with truth, even when it is uncomfortable.

Finally, and fortunately, we can apply all four of these ways to deal with discomfort.

This year is the new ____ (some other year)? (70 is the new 50?)

This year is whatever I make of it.

More important, this day is the new whatever I make of it.

This day, and my present circumstances - as they change - are the new whatever I make of them.

I say with confidence, this day is the new whatever you make of it.

May 28, 2023

Holy Spirit, as we strive to remain conscious of You, to honor You, and to live up to You, help us to be as mirrors to others, that they may experience Your presence, love and wisdom within themselves.

May 14, 2023

One of my favorite aphorisms is by J.R.R. Tolkien. I won’t get it verbatim but, in essence, it is this: “Ultimately, moment to moment, all we can do is decide what to do with the time that is given to us.”

This morning, it seems to me that it’s not quite so simple. There is another layer of decision: we first have to decide how we will decide what to do. What sources, values and priorities will we consider and weigh in deciding what to do?

I thank You, Holy Spirit, for being constantly present and available to each of us to guide us in deciding what to do with the time that is given to us.

Seeking and reflecting the light

I am not the light.

But I can seek the light.  When I think I see the light, even as reflected by others, I can do my best to keep it in sight and in mind, to get closer to it, and to use the light to guide my decisions and actions.

And I can do my best to reflect the light to others.

Becoming easily amused

Being easily amused is its own reward.  All we need to do to be easily amused is to let go of the sense of entitlement to standards of amusement - sources of pleasure, relaxation, laughter, peace and joy - which are rarely and less easily met.  Simple to say; not so simple to do.  But, like so many other habits, this letting go gets easier with practice.