Happy New Year, Dear Ones.
What an incredible week this has been, no???
It has really gotten me thinking about the importance of stepping back and taking a nice long deep breath.
Stepping back and realizing there is so much we don't know.
Stepping back and recognizing just how important it is to take the long view of things...
I've learned that this is how I can find wisdom within what appears to be chaos.
At a meditation retreat I attended some years ago we had a conversation in our final session about the ills of the world and how they come to be. We were trying to identify the causes of poverty, violence, injustice.
What we came to see is that there is no easy answer to these questions - no simple cause and effect.
What we came to see is that everything is because of everything.
This can seem like an overwhelming prospect... It's so much easier to say, no, this person is responsible for that thing! That person caused this!
And yes, we do each have personal responsibility for our actions. Each thing we do does affect others - for better or for worse. And so we must act with integrity, responsibility and good intention.
But in this, too, lies an incredible freedom.
For if we recognize the power of our actions and intentions - and how they ripple out into the world in ways beyond our imaginings - we can also see the power we have to create good in the world! Every little thing we do - a smile, a kind word, a thought of goodwill - makes a difference.
Sometimes far far more than we will ever know.
It also helps me to understand that things like the events that occurred this week in Washington, D.C. - tragic events that might have been avoided - did not occur in a vacuum.
When I step back and take the long view, I can see the events of that day as the result of not just the actions of a few in that moment - or even just the incendiary rhetoric of the past few years - but of hundreds of years of oppression and injustice.
I remind myself that everything is because of everything.
And when I do this, I can then start to look at my own part in it all. How have I myself supported systems of oppression and injustice? When have I not spoken up when I might have? How can I, today, wake up?
How can I be kinder? How can I use whatever skills and aptitudes I have to help make the world a better, kinder, healthier place - all while allowing myself compassion and forgiveness and the deepest love and acceptance?
Then and only then, I can look to the future with hope.
I can choose to see the incredible goodness of humanity - for all its failings - and the desire of all humans to be safe, happy, fulfilled, seen.
A few years back I developed an acronym to use as a teaching guide - a reminder for steps to take to live a happier, healthier, more balanced life. The acronym is SMILE.
S - Stop - meaning pause and take a step back
M - Bring yourself into the Moment. Breathe. Be here now.
I - Initiate self-care
L - Let go. Release anything that is not serving your health and wellbeing - including fears, worries, doubts
and E - Expand your vision and Engage positively with life.
This is where the above comes into play.
This is where we can recognize we do not know the outcome of any given event - even an event that appears truly tragic.
We do not know the future or how things will unfold.
Rather than despairing or obsessing or being gripped by fear, we can take the long view and know that what appears scary right now may, in fact, bring rich rewards. We can allow ourselves to imagine all the possible positive outcomes of any given situation. We can recognize that whatever we may be feeling or experiencing in this moment - this, too, shall pass.
We can step back from all our thoughts and beliefs to gain perspective. Then we can make a decision right now to engage in positive ways with our life - this life - in whatever ways are possible for us - right now, where and as we are.
For me, above all else, it is my mindfulness practice that has allowed me to do this - to find wisdom, balance and happiness within the apparent chaos of life.
This practice brings me so many rich rewards - each and every day.
If you're interested in how mindfulness can bring you a healthier perspective, more insight, greater peace and happiness, please consider joining me for my next retreat, coming up in just two weeks - Your Year of Living Mindfully: A Virtual Meditation & Mindfulness Retreat for Women - Jan. 22-23.
Click here for complete info.
Above all, keep the faith, believe in you, and embrace this amazing life we are living, knowing that every little thing you do makes a difference!
Wishing you a truly beautiful unfolding of your year, filled with endless love and light,
Cindy
♥