The Practice of Living Awareness

Life can be messy. The toilet backs up, the kids are tired, the boss had too much coffee, the rain slowed down everything. And that’s the small stuff. We could live in a war zone, have serious life transformations going on due to terminal illness of a loved one or our self, a tornado or hurricane might have just wiped out our town or village, chemical poisons put into the water stream or ground water might be poisoning and killing people, animals, and crops. Life can be pretty messy.

For the majority of 7 Billion people today, life will go on and they will meet it with the composure that they can, dealing with the toilet and the kids and even the tornado matter of factly. And in doing so, a human being finds the power to do what is necessary, to think as clearly as possible, to have empathy for others (of all ages and species) who also might be having a rough messy moment.

Meditation teaches us about the untamed aspects of our ego. Essentially, the untamed part(s) is reactivity. This personalizes, creates drama where there is none, and loves the story but is not thoughtful about what to do. Meditation trains us to give a little space, to let be for a moment – a nano-second – before reacting, before labeling or determining good or bad (which is usually measured by and in relation to the personal self). Meditation, then, helps us tame that which is unruly and ego driven. It does so through training us to let be, breathe. Then response will be more true, cleaner, clearer, and purposeful. Reactivity is rarely prudent or wise.

Smile! Each moment offers us creative choice. Do you want to finger paint with all that mess on your fingers? Want to turn impatience into a moment of empathy and kindness? Want to turn traffic into an opportunity for quiet breathing and contemplation? Want to turn a life changing situation into a truly transformative opportunity? Smile. Wisdom is knocking.

Downloadable podcast: Life can be messy