Today just felt like a regular, routine sort of a day, no external adversities to overcome or personal problems to work through. A day like today makes it clear to me that usually I feel like I have something to overcome, some sort of a hill to climb. I was surprised and pleased at the efficiency of having some medical tests on my thyroid (normal) done, in and out in under fifteen minutes. A bit later, I met with a close friend and had a good period of love and connection. There were several very pleasant interactions with Maria during the day and, significantly, I had no pain to speak of. The day just felt very pleasant!
One topic that came up during my meeting with my friend was “spiritual materialism”, the tendency to attach to some sort of spiritual principle, use it to promote oneself, with the effect of blocking or impeding further growth. We each acknowledged how easy it was to fall into that trap, as I have done in the past. I enjoy being “the world’s greatest expert” and find it hard to recognize that I am actually hurting myself. It is a trap that is very attractive to the ego and the opposite of humility and openness.
