Stretching the Self

The early morning air was light and in the darkness, one could see the last of night's fog rolling away.  The temperature is at 69 degrees fahrenheit.  Today is Wednesday.

Thankful that the writing helps to keep life in perspective.  One can see the tensions rising as the temperatures go up.  One can feel the possibility of conflict coming closer to home.  One can hear the diminishing sense of understanding and caring for those who are different from the self.  How does one meet the possibilities of problems?

Living as human beings has always been a problematic situation.  No matter how much one has, we learn over and over again that the material possessions have nothing to do with the materiality of one's existence.  This is why even those with plenty, still live in misery.  Those with nothing, are sometimes the most joyful. Those who are delusional in thinking that having more material resource will bring greater satisfaction in life, often find that the pursuit is endless.  This is why it is so important to have a moment of silence.

Silence opens and stretches the being in surprising ways.  Going into silence daily is the best - even if for a few minutes.  Weekly for a longer self-training is essential because this is where a spiritual stretch might happen.  It is sometimes exhilarating and sometimes painful, both in the body and in the mind.  This is where holding oneself to be accountable can be done with LOW tech - bio-feedback, self monitoring, and "watching" the way the mind behaves are all possible.  Noting where the body and breath are not aligned allows for one to correct themselves.  Noting the way one's body is changing also possible and this is essential because the degradation of our physical selves is what makes one realize that time is short.

No matter where one is in life, time - like the sun - is equally generous and limited in duration in our individual experience.  There are endless cycles of light and dark;  there are endless cycles of joy and sorrow;  there are endles cycles of coming and going.  This is what we train for:  to get our timing and rhythm right so that we can live as fully as possible, moment-by-moment (not over a lifetime of doing things that in the end, return to the place of memory and nothing more).

The big stretch is to notice – where have things become rigid and brittle?  Where have things opened up?  Where does the vibrancy in life emerge?  What are the things one must do to live fully into the values chosen in this lifetime?

These are big questions, they require a big stretch.  It may look like nothing from outside, but when one moves into a serious inquiry - one realizes that it is not what is on the outside that can reveal the answers;  rather, it is what one discovers on the inside - and stretching is how to unlock the door that has been closed.