When I don't want to learn ...

When I don't want to think about or discover what I could learn from the present moment - that I can be kind or patient longer, find more goodness and depth in other people, find in myself new ways to contribute, find beauty in new places, or find renewed joy - is it because my self care demands rest?  Or is it because I'm feeling self-righteousness or lazy?

Spirit and sport

To me, sports have a spiritual dimension.  Living Life in the moment; forming and changing aspirations; finding the motivation to train, to do the hard work of growth; facing one's limits - and seeing them change; finding, cultivating, and learning to trust instincts; building connections with teammates, coaches, even adversaries; cultivating responsibility for one's choices and mistakes; discovering, if one is lucky, mystery; cultivating gratitude; accepting one's results, elating or disappointing - and doing it all again and again. I suspect these spiritual moments are common in all seriously pursued sports.

My favorite sport is sculling. Being present - including attention to balance, technique, steering, and care of self and boat - are key.  Technique is much aided by training, by muscle memory. You try to avoid mistakes - but you learn from those, too.  Rest is important: overdoing training is counter-productive.  And, no matter your pace, the boat's wake and the bubbles from the oars' puddles are soon gone.  But growth remains.  And joy and gratitude, if you pay attention to the blessings of health, the beauty of one’s surroundings - the sky, the water, the trees and and clouds – and the freedom to be part of it all.

November 20, 2022

Holy Spirit, please help me to cultivate awareness of your constant presence, lest I unconsciously cultivate anxiety.

Help me consciously cultivate patience, lest I unconsciously cultivate stress.

Help me consciously cultivate gratitude, lest I unconsciously cultivate entitlement.

Help me consciously cultivate love, lest I unconsciously cultivate judgment.

Am I disciplined enough to relax?

Self care includes rest and relaxation.

Living busy lives in a busy and complex world, it is easy to neglect self care in general, and rest in particular.  Just as an athlete can over-train, people who seek to learn and grow can over-train - can neglect the rest and relaxation needed for learning and growth, and for the health, joy and fulfillment that is the point of it all.

Am I disciplined enough to relax?  To give my mind and body enough rest?  To accept that there is a healthful limit to what I can do right now, or today?

Gratitude or entitlement?

If I fail to cultivate gratitude, am I not unconsciously cultivating its opposite: a sense of entitlement?

Reality check #18

How do I discern when life is good? 

How do I discern when my life is good?

Is my life only good when everything that matters to me is good?  

Would I want my performance as a parent, or at work, or in a relationship, or as a citizen to be judged by that standard?

October 23, 2022

A psalm says, "Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him."*

Now, dear Lord, You must admit that an hour is a very long time to wait for guidance in most people’s day to day lives.

So I thank You for Your proxies which are available to me, to all of us, at any hour of the day: common sense, discipline, attention, conscience, and, most important, love.

*Psalm 37:7.