Gazing in the Mirror

March 1 - When A Stop Sign Appears

Even when you think you have
your life all mapped out,
things happen that shape
your destiny in ways you might
never have imagined.
~ Deepak Chopra

We must instill into the mind the
fundamental proposition that good
is without bounds.
~ Ernest Holmes,
Science of Mind textbook pg 39

Recently two acquaintances of mine living on different continents from my own but about the same age as I am have let me know that each of these has suffered a stroke and suddenly the life they had been living has stopped. They are left to go on from wherever they find themselves. One was in the midst of higher learning. One was in an employment of responsibility. Suddenly for both of these people the paths they had been on are no longer viable. For one even the freedom of independently driving their self to wherever they want to go has been lost.

It is humbling to consider such events in a life. Whether it is a cancer diagnosis, a heart attack or a stroke, if one is fortunate enough to survive that initial slam upon the conventional life they were living "just before", how does such a one go forward from where they now find themselves ? In truth one goes forward in the same way that they were going forward just before. True the "destination" has suddenly been uncontrollably altered and that can definitely be a bit disorienting at first. There is no longer that same certainty about what being alive actually is about. And for awhile just being alive may be such a challenge that it takes all of the focus one is able to manage and utilize at such a time to get through it.

Perhaps it is that such a moment of sudden stop and finding one's self somewhere unexpected also offers an opportunity. The Chinese "wei-chi" or "weiji" are said to define a crisis as composed not only of danger (the imminent threat to one's continued life that such events represent) but also a moment of opportunity though some would interpret "ji" as a pivot point, which is certainly appropriate in the instances I am considering here. It could be more correctly noted that at the pivot point of impending "danger" one has the opportunity to re-frame their perspective regarding what life is actually about.

First of all at such moments it would be entirely appropriate to consider what it is that one actually wants to do now under the changed circumstances and to gently steer clear of anything else that one doesn't really want to be part of their life. For example once one is reminded of the fragility of having an incarnated life by having a close brush with the end of that life or in the case of a stroke an actual roadblock to continuing on with the life they were living "before", priorities can and perhaps should change.

However it is my personal belief that in a very fundamental way Life Itself and it's response to us has not changed and in that understanding, if we are able to actually grasp that understanding at such a moment, lies our ability to continue on. At such a moment, desires may emerge from within us that we didn't even realize we were harboring deep within. Here is a place where living in the beauty of the Moment of Now becomes evident. If we have been fortunate enough to have previously located within us the central Source of our Being and to have aligned our self identity with that Source this can be a kind of faith or trust that will guide us by fulfilling for us whatever it is that we need next.

It is true that this perspective is only a belief of my own. In some cases we may be so bereft of what we knew in the moment before that we are simply given no other choice but to trust that Life will actually go on and that there is something worthwhile in continuing to live and that we will discover new reasons to continue to hold life precious. One such reason may be discovering how much the people that are acquainted with us truly care about us. Such expressions of loving concern may reaffirm our value to others for us in our continuing to live out our lives. We are continuously guided by the greatest Love of all or so I also personally believe. Even in such a difficult moment as that one when the stop sign suddenly looms in the middle of the road that we thought we were going to continue to travel straight forward upon, we can find within us an ability to appreciate that we are continuing on in the reality that we actually are in. That may sound so very simple and yet I believe that it is actually profound.

~ perspective

I become intimately acquainted
with the Beloved, that witnessing
Presence within me, and choose
to nurture an understanding of
my relationship to that Self.
Each and every moment I start
wherever I find myself and go
forward from there.
When I am able to remain in
gratitude for drawing my next
breath and being in conscious
awareness I find that Love does
meet me everywhere my gaze
connects with another such expression.
Life's very goodness can change
my perspective of whatever is
happening to me and can bring
about a good outcome to whatever
chance has sent my way and I see
it is good.
I make the most of whatever is
and find ways to move forward
regardless of circumstance and to
patiently take that next logical step
and do whatever is placed
before me to do.

#change #difficulty #health #limitation #motivation #opportunity #priorities #purpose #reasons #unexpected