Divine Intervention

I am approaching another recovery anniversary (thirty years, illegal drug and alcohol free) and as is usually the case, I am reflecting back on my journey.  When I look back I notice a great deal of divine intervention, in fact I clearly would not be alive or doing nearly as well as I am without it.  I ask for that intervention daily and have come to depend on it.  The question that occurs to me is whether the same level of intervention would be or is available to anyone who is willing to surrender their self-will completely, as is recommended in my program of recovery.  I suspect so, but I do not know.  I just know that has worked for me.

Split Wood & Carry Water

A “meat & potatoes” or “split wood & carry water” kind of a day.  Meaning that I, largely, took a break from my typical spiritual focus and spent a good part of the day taking care of simple, household tasks, like cooking and laundry.  I seem to need such breaks periodically. The day was a welcome, less intense break.  I still started my day with an extended period of prayer and meditation, which seems to be a given.

Loving Response

On the one hand, providing a loving response, acting in a loving way, sounds simple, and theoretically it is.  However, when faced with the reality of the human condition, acting in a loving way is often difficult, requiring meditation to determine the right course of action.  For example, I have a friend who is in very bad shape emotionally and physically due to his alcoholism.  My initial response is to rush to his aide in any way I can, actions that do not feel quite right.  When I meditate, the most loving response seems to be to not take any action until he begins to take some action on his own, and only then to provide support.  Meaning, that the loving response right now is to let him experience what he needs to, in spite of that being difficult to watch.  Personally, I have found the loving response to be complicated at times.

Fear

I just wrote a check in order to self-publish a book I wrote as part of my effort to increase the impact of love and spirituality in the world.  It is not logical but I have been experiencing a great deal of fear around the action of publishing this book.  However, feelings are not rational.  It is best to feel the feelings, express them openly and let them go.  It is also important, in this case, that I not allow the feelings to stop me.

Choice

Earlier today, I was talking to one of my clients and commented that the pictures and videos that go viral on the internet are often of thing like cute animals or babies doing loving things, indicating a good side to humanity.  He pointed out that the things that go viral are often “darker” too, indicating a less pleasant side to humanity.  The fact is that we have both and a great deal of human existence reflects the struggle between the sides.  That struggle has certainly been evident in my history.  It has been part of my life.  I now choose to be on the loving side of the conflict.

Perspective

I really like and have a very personal understanding of the words of  Bradford Keeney  from The Bushman way of Tracking God : “When we started prioritizing thoughts over feelings and seriousness over play, our emotions became ignored.  We forgot what was possible if we kept our good feelings well fed.  This is how we lost hold of the ropes [to God].  Fortunately, they never went away.  They are sleeping in our hearts, waiting for a song to wake them up.”  The fact is that I spent many years with my primary focus on my intellect, before I began to expand my view.

Change

I am working with two individuals that really desire to change, for things to be different in their lives.  I care about each of them and they have turned to me and others for assistance. When I make suggestions, they tell me that they cannot or will not do the actions I suggest.  I have been in their position many times and when I was truly ready for change, I was also ready to do just about anything that was suggested, I had surrendered.  I wonder if it is that simple in these cases.

Uneasy

I attended a movie (“The Theory Of Everything”) about the life of Steven Hawkins today.  The parallels between his life and mine are quite noticeable and I found myself crying several times during the movie.  I have told many people to pay attention when they cry, that there is something of significance there.  That thought makes me uneasy.  He and I each deal with a progressive, degenerative neurological disorder, though each in different ways.  We were both also told that we would die, some years ago.  He has had a large impact on many people and I have not, at least not yet.  We also differ in that love, healing and God have been an important part of my life, rather than intellect.  I wonder what awaits me.

Simplicity, Love and Integrity

The themes in the Friends (Quaker) meeting today were simplicity, love and integrity, very timely in view of the excessively capitalistic manner in which most people move through the holidays.  I have been asked several times about how my Thanksgiving was and my response is always something to the effect of “quiet, with a simple but special vegetarian meal”.  The fact is that Maria and I have a simple, uncluttered life, which leave room for spiritual and emotional connections.

Monotony

In my interactions today, I encountered the question of how to deal with the monotony of life without experiencing boredom and restlessness.  When I was following the purely intellectual interests of a highly trained scientist, I did, indeed, find much of life to be monotonous.  Since that time I have added spiritual and emotional elements to my life.  Life has now taken on much greater depth and complexity within its ultimate simplicity.  I now balance my day to day existence with the realities of love, other emotions and eternity.  Monotony is no longer a concern!