Thursday, September 13, 2012

Everything is Satisfactual

     
"Everything you need you already have. You are complete right now, you are a whole, total person, not an apprentice person on the way to someplace else. Your completeness must be understood by you and experienced in your thoughts as your own personal reality." - Wayne Dyer

Waiting for an answer, a loved one, a paycheck, a phone call, a sunny day, or even a sign from above. It seems life can be measured by the amount of time we spend waiting for a certain something to happen, hopefully bringing us peace or the ultimate fulfillment of being complete. The fact is there will always be something else to add to the list of desired outcomes. If we are alive, then we are a moving force, ever changing, in constant motion. Wanting and needing are not politically correct words if you follow the philosophy of living in the present moment. A true believer is taught to choose acceptance and gratitude as a natural state of grace. To be one with what is happening right now, thankful for the many blessings which make up our day. In all honesty as a devout follower, I humbly agree. When I wake up and remind myself to stay mindfully present I feel a sense of happiness that cannot be challenged. Wanting for nothing, waiting for no man. 
     Unless of course, the 'Now' is not a good moment, then it becomes a mad scramble to right myself before I slide down the slippery slope of frustration and longing. It's a hard line to walk for the uninitiated, and even more difficult for those who practice.
Ignorance is not bliss in either case. 
There is nothing wrong in wanting to move forward, waiting for answers, or dreaming of better days to come. I think conflict occurs when one judges the essence of the present moment to be less than something which may or may not occur in the future.
A gentlemen neighbor of mine has been searching for two years for a sign there is more to life than what we see here. It's one thing to have faith in everlasting beauty, it's another to feel the sharp certainty. Both his parents had passed on, and his days had become mired in slow despair. His father gone for 12 years, his mother for two. Everyday he tended their graveside, praying for something to make him feel better. He sought out spiritual advisers for counsel, they told him to wait for a sign, it would come. Giving up hope he began to believe in a beginning and end with definite visible boundaries,
clear and finale. We are born and then we die.
There is nothing more.
One recent afternoon, he made his daily sojourn to the cemetery. On his knees planting flowers, a flicker of movement caught his eye. A Bluebird, a rare sight in New England, landed on the branch of a maple tree he had planted in memory long ago. His mother dearly loved Bluebirds and when alive had made many attempts to invite them to live in her lush gardens, but to no avail. Now before his eyes one serenely gazed down upon him. Could this be the sign he was waiting for. While pondering the significance, another Bluebird appeared and sat nearby. Joyfully my friend watched, grief slowly melting away. As if to make sure he was paying attention, to his utter amazement one of the birds flew down and gently landed on his shoulder. Afraid to move, with tears pouring down, he quietly accepted what he had known all along. Five minutes, or an eternity later, the birds flew away, their message relayed.
I think about this story and smile. Sometimes it seems to take awhile for answers to be revealed, for dreams to come true. Perhaps not always so obvious as to perch on our shoulder, they eventually arrive in some form nonetheless. I believe the truth is actually more amazing than we can comprehend. What if surrounding us is all the Love, Healing, and Peace we long for, patiently waiting for a minute to capture our attention, a moment when we finally open our hearts. Could life be so simple. I think it is, but as complicated, difficult human beings, it is only ourselves which stand in the way. One of these days I am going to surrender to the unending battle I wage within. I will allow myself to fully accept the words of sacred beauty being sung to me from every corner of my world.
Until I make this finale leap of faith, I will pray everyday,
for myself, for all of us.
"May we stop waiting for what is already here,
wanting what has already been given.
 To clearly see what we think is hidden,
to remember, by opening our hearts."

In Beauty May You Fly
~Raven