Focus

The rains have cleared and the aftermath, as always happens after a good washing, is more clarity and brightness.  It is as if the huge washing by the heavens gives way to the chance for everything to be nourished.  However, this year's rains are both a blessing and a burden.  While we fretted about drought and the impact on the watershed, we prayed for rain - and got it.

The rains have been so plentiful that the groundwater table has swollen to the point of causing concern that there could be disasters that appear from below rather than above.  Balance is still not here.  It is either too little or too much.  In this moment, as the rains clear, there is a feeling of greater focus.  At the top of a new year, that feeling is amplified because the energy of the universe is about renewal and possibilities.  In this space, there is focus on what one can do as an individual, and what one can do to contribute to the community.  The result is a kind of hope that allows for choices that will affirm life.  That kind of focus is truly precious.  Why?  Because it is so easy to drop into anxious and doubtful attitudes about what can happen next.

Focusing on the politics of possibilities to serve rather than sever;  focusing on enhancing creativity in life rather than get stuck on any number of things that can happen;  focusing on choosing to smile (or even laugh) more - will enhance living. It is a challenge to move through these times and remain focused on the things that will result in making life more balanced.

Where is the body?  How are you caring for the vessel that allows experiences of life to be met with the unique being that is called "me?".  Where is the mind?  What are the intentions that lead to the actions that call upon each one to act, at home and in the world beyond home.  How is the spirit doing this day?  Is it rising to meet the routine and the surprises that will be a part of living?

Yesterday was the holiday that this nation has designated as the day all should recognize the contributions of a man named Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King and it was raining more gently that much of the past week.  The remembrance of a person who had a singular, huge focus to break the racism against Black people in this country was his life's work.  The fact of his human flaws and political transformation did not change his focus.  Nor did those revelations change the impact of what he gave those who, fifty years later, continue to address inequity, conflict, and discrimination.  It was his focus in life to put the world on notice that humanity needs to recognize the meaning of "common destiny" as much as "Beloved Community".  This was a person who understood the complexity and complications of staying focused.

The skill that is required is both obvious and not.  Learning, true learning - comes from touching into the universe.  It doesn't come from the mouths of people - politicians, priests, or professors.  It comes from sitting in silence and allowing the space - the empty space - to be filled with the vital energy called "living.".