Transitions
In a few days, we will transition into winter. Seasons—they are something we can count on—year in and year out. The dates appear on our calendars while Nature changes her colors and her habits. Since Covid hit, it seems like we are making transitions almost continually—and a lot of those changes are unexpected. We respond to some with joy and anticipation and others with sadness and fear. We’ve come to expect changes, but how can we weather them more evenly?
We can live in the moment. This moment is all we have. We can open our eyes to really see what is all around us—not anticipate what we expect to see, but really see each object completely—without judgment or meaning. What do you notice? Do you see things you haven’t seen before? Marianne Williamson, referring to A Course in Miracles, stated, “The point of the exercise is to help clear your mind of all past associations, to see things exactly as they appear to you now.” As you do this, do you find that your body is relaxing and your mind is less busy? The objects are indistinguishable from each other, what separates them is the meaning we give to them. So it is with everything in our lives—the response we give to the changes we experience is totally up to us. We can choose to respond to them with joy, anticipation, sadness or fear. I leave you with this parable to think about:
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There is a Taoist story of an old farmer who had worked his crops for many years. One day his horse ran away. Upon hearing the news, his neighbors came to visit. "Such bad luck," they said sympathetically. "May be," the farmer replied. The next morning the horse returned, bringing with it three other wild horses. "How wonderful," the neighbors exclaimed. "May be," replied the old man. The following day, his son tried to ride one of the untamed horses, was thrown, and broke his leg. The neighbors again came to offer their sympathy on his misfortune. "May be," answered the farmer. The day after, military officials came to the village to draft young men into the army. Seeing that the son's leg was broken, they passed him by. The neighbors congratulated the farmer on how well things had turned out. "May be," said the farmer. |
