Good Bones, Pushing Water

As the author Carrie Newcomer says, either "overwork (the most revered attention in our culture) or a selfless form of not taking care of myself (a revered spiritual misconception in our culture)". Living this way creates perpetual imbalance in our life. It creates and perpetuates an energy draining cycle. According to me, a wise way of living is creating a dynamic balance in my life. Another lesson I learned from this story is how to connect with the deeper inner part of my being. As Thomas Merton calls the "True Self" or as the Quaker calls "The Inner Light" or as the Vedic sages call "The Light Within." All of us have the inner trusted "spiritual good bones". We are born with this inner gift. And all of us have some trusted outer resources. A wise way of living a happy, creative, and peaceful life is creating a dynamic between these two trusted resources. We need to wake up from our sleep to see the inner light and remain awakened. Like any other being, there have been times in my life when I have made harmful choices, creating suffering in me and in people close to me. I learned valuable lessons from my suffering. I woke up and saw "The Inner Light", my "True Self". We create our own internal messiness and we create our own burden. What helps me to end my suffering and be free from it is introspection, compassionate mindfulness, and remaining awake. Living my life this way requires self work: patience, endurance, open-mindedness, and open-heartedness. When I live this way my life becomes a blessing to me.
​Namaste!