Resolve

The prediction of rain has returned and yet, the skies are blue. Temperature sits at 47 degrees fahrenheit. Today is Monday.

The work we all do requires us to be present, to engage the world as it is not as we would like it to be, and to understand where we can make a small difference. It takes a lot to meet all of what our lives invite into our daily existence. It sometimes takes a good amount of resolve.

This is a way of being that is different from "will power."

Resolve provides a firmness that feels less judgmental - it's a way of working that is deep, and seems to understand that there is something both firm and fluid because a person carries this quality without pushing it. The pursuit of bringing to life an imagination, a dream, a vision, something that has never existed before - requires much more than will power.

One can easily be exhausted if the energy runs out when it comes to "will" or "power." Something about having resolve makes it possible to maintain a certain amount of ease as you stay with that vision or dream. It may be hard at times, but somewhere inside you know that it is okay and most importantly, you are willing to accept the consequences of the conditions you face, or the choice that is made.

The thing to be careful about is mistakenly thinking that "ease" is the same thing as "easy" because choices have to be made, and that in itself can create moments of tension or conflict. What comes to mind are things like raising children, choosing a life partner, making a decision about whether to follow the law or violate it in certain situations. The initial choice might come quickly, but as you live with those choices - there are definitely going to be times when challenges arise and something more will be called upon from deep inside.

A man who was imprisoned for violating the laws about racial segregation was imprisoned for decades. His life was seen by the system that imprisoned him as being cut short. In many ways, the activities he would have pursued, were indeed cut short. But, the energy he was able to store and share through his acceptance of the conditions, and depth of resolve that he was following a universal law of humanity, led to a huge shift in his society. The results of his resolve were the dismantling of systems that kept entire races of people oppressed. His name was Mandela. His way was resolve.

Few are capable or called upon to walk a path like his, but many are capable of seeing what can come of this quality that we all possess, somewhere within our being.