Purpose

Sometimes there is nothing more beautiful than silence-

And with it, the presence and space
To remember,
To connect with,
Who we really are

Underneath the facade,
The body,
The thoughts,
The story

Who we really are.

Yes you,
All of us
We ARE here for a reason
To make a difference

Yes, you know on a deep level
What I am talking about

You,
Beautiful divine being.
Show up for life
With peace

And precious moments
Of inspired creation
Will follow...

God made you right
Not perfect
God made you right for your
Purpose

You are blessed

As I mentioned, my body and mind are in the process of overcoming chicken pox.
And I am not surprised that this process is teaching me lessons,
Giving me a healthy dose of insight.

When things are going well and when we are healthy, it is so easy to take blessings for granted.
Isn't it?
I woke up the other morning with a list of mind-generated complaints and worries.
So I wrote them down.
And even though I didn't want to, I created a gratitude list as well.

Guess which one was longer?
Way longer.

But why did this take work to recognize?

Well, when bad things happen in our lives or to our bodies, we reminded of several things:
1) We are really not "in control" of many things in life
2) As time goes on our bodies take on different illnesses, some cureable, others not
3) Our bodies are only here for an extended stay....

The problem is our Egos do not like to be reminded of these things. Egos hate not being in control and being reminded that our human manifestations get one step closer to gone each day.

I found the chicken pox virus to be triggering my Ego more than it was itching my True Self (pun intended).
Many thoughts of "poor me, why now?, I am ugly", etc.....

We've all listened to our Egos, haven't we?

I had breaks from this and nice moments of meditation and connection-- with the love of friends and family, a friendly dog, my singing voice. Ah.... no disease can touch this

And a clear Divine message was silently said but loudly heard this evening,

No matter what is happening....
You are blessed.
You are always blessed.

Sometimes you are stuck

This week I got hit, knocked down, and covered head to toe in sores by the simple

Chicken pox virus, varicella zoster.

I have received varying reactions from friends and colleagues regarding this news,

ranging from laughter to surprise, to extreme sympathy.

In truth I was in great discomfort the first few days (achy, terrible sleep, extreme itching) to only moderate physical discomfort now. And a bit of shock when I look in the mirror. Now I am dealing with varying degrees of psychological discomfort and a case of bad attitude.

I find it ironic that I counsel people on how to get "unstuck" from unhealthy habits and ways of thinking. I teach meditation and I model a healthy mind-body lifestyle.

Until something like varicella kicks in.

Then I am pretty much back to the old ways of Ego and the self-inflicted suffering it produces.

I am remembering what it feels like to be stuck. To be either incapable or unwilling to raise my consciousness through spiritual means, 

Because my Ego, or unhealthy part of myself

Wants to be fed with sadness, "Oh look what I am missing out on outside."

Worry, "Will I scar?"

Impatience, "I can't handle two weeks of this!"

Etc....

My Ego has been well fed with my tears and complaints, with many attempts to "fix" the problem by trying every remedy possible and eating well and resting.

And guess what?

None of it worked.

Feeding the Ego with self-absorbed thinking never works.

We stay stuck.

I am over it.

Time to listen to kirtan, reflect on the suffering of others that is much greater-

And pray for them.

Finding and re-finding our true self

It is so easy to get caught up in the material workings of this world.  Wake up, hurry up, get to the next place, next task, next assignment. Earn the next paycheck, buy the next 10 or 100 items. Keeping busy, constantly thinking and doing until 

Bam! Something is not going your way.

Disappointment

Stress

More doing

More thinking

Maybe a you break to distract yourself with TV, socializing, complaining, or a few cocktails.

Some relief.

Then the next day, the cycle repeats.

Ever wonder if there is a better way to live?

I do not have a one-size-fits all answer.

But what I do know is that this tiring cycle is how the EGO (or our false, mind-centered sense of self) WANTS us to live.

And only your true self-- your spiritual self, the light within

Can help you out.

OUT

of the cycle 

You need only to find or re-find your true self. 

The answer to greater peace lies in getting out of the Mind.

In slowing down

To stillness.

To your breath.

You do not need anything else in this moment. 

You need only to remember who you really are.