I’ve been intrigued by the passing of time, and the flow of emotional states for awhile. The more I notice, the more I take responsibility for and attune to, the rhythms of my life with conscientiousness and compassion. Attending not only to the joys and ‘highs’ of my day, but the lows and ebbs too. This way I do not get rapped by the zealousness that can come from a win, nor plummet to the depths when a wish is denied.
I am not suggesting this is a necessary notice for everyone. I even propose that some have this balance of rhythm fully timed for themself so that no swings occur at all. But for those of us who have been, in times, taken by the winds of change and buffeted against the doorframes of our lives, I give this learning of life to you.
Being courageous enough-just enough-to sit with the low or the high, and not react to the extremes they each can call us to, let’s your minds-eye see them differently. I can turn myself to events of the past that mirror the emotions of this day and see how they all worked out in the end, or the zealous high of them did not need the investment of my energies; they were fine on their own and in fact, my added zeal-celebration if you will-only caused myself harm in playing out the nervous attentiveness, tiring me to the next days offerings.
Try it: next time you wake to plummet, or open emails to a celebration, sit with it. Close your eyes, feel the energy of it all, let it roll in and through you. Ask yourself what responding to their extreme will add to your day: Is it necessary to join in the malaise, or rise to the dance? Or would your days energy be better spent smiling broadly into each task that is yours to tend, each person coming into your kitchen, and letting the joy or peace, pain or deepening, simply shine from the bright light of your unique resonance?
Hold close the emotions you face; they are meant to lead yes, but not to run the show. Emotions are responses of our thoughts after all, only this. By tending the fires of the brain, the energy we put into the day can manifest in better ways; for the artist, through the tips of a paintbrush to canvas, perhaps….
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I counted my years and discovered that I have less time to live from here on out than what I have lived until now. I feel like that kid who won a pack of sweets: the first ones eaten with pleasure, but when he realized there were few left he began to taste them intensely.
I no longer have time for endless meetings where statute, rules, procedures and internal regulations are discussed, knowing that nothing will be achieved. I no longer have time to support dumb people who, despite their chronic age, haven’t grown up. My time is too short: I want the essence, my soul is in a hurry. I don’t have much sweets in the package anymore. I want to live next to human, very humane people, who know how to laugh at their mistakes and who are not inflated by their triumphs and who take on their own responsibilities. This is how you defend human dignity and move towards truth and honesty. It’s the essential that makes life worth living.
I want to surround myself with people who know how to touch hearts, people who have been taught to grow up with gentle touches of their soul. Yes, I’m in a hurry, I’m rushing to live with the intensity that only maturity can give. I don’t mean to waste any of the leftover sweets. I’m sure these will be delicious, a lot more than the ones I’ve eaten so far. My goal is to reach a satisfied and peaceful end with my loved ones and my conscience. We have two lives and the second one starts when you realize you only have one.
Mario of Andrade