One of the most important things we can do is to understand life, all of life, as a living body in itself…It is …fatuous to think that once we solve an issue it stays solved, that once we learn, we always remain conscious ever after. No, life is a great body that grows and diminishes in different areas, at different rates. When we are like the body, doing the work of new growth, wading through the shit, just breathing or resting, we are very alive…If we could realize that the work is to keep doing the work, we would be much more fierce and much more peaceful. – Clarissa Pinkola Estes
To say that we are wading through a bit of shit right now would be an understatement. In fact, it is in times like these when it is crucial to maintain a vision of the bigger picture and remember that all of us are connected and that everything we do, big or small, matters. The real work of life is remembering our part in the larger whole while we keep doing our thing.
Life is a continual process rather than a stagnant destination. We have to remind ourselves that we live in cycles, not a straight line, and this remembering can save our sanity. We may pine away for some feeling of finality, of arriving at a particular destination, or some mystical end point where everything is resolved, but really there is no such thing. Life is an endless flow, think of waves breaking on the shore. Every ending is a new beginning, and every new beginning means we have to leave something else behind. On and on the cycle goes without end and perhaps without any particular reason other than inviting us to keep opening up to the hidden places inside and begin seeing the things we normally take for granted.
Some moments shake us to the core and other times it slows down and expands out. Life is always shifting course and asking us to adapt. It’s important to keep our balance in these ever-changing patterns and just breathe. When things get rough it’s not time to escape or run and hide. In times when we feel ignored, denied, or maligned it is important to dig deeper, stand firm in our truth, and be seen. When we feel ebullient, peaceful and whole, it’s important to share. This is what doing the work looks like.
It also helps to remember. Words of hope, words that heal, and words that ground us back into the present moment remind us of who we are, where we’re at, and that what’s got us down will pass. This is also part of doing the work. To be part of the great body of life we have to be brave enough to seek out and see the bigger picture. It’s this larger perspective that lets us ride the waves of joy or make our way through the pain. The truth is nothing remains the same, so holding on or forcing our agenda only creates more problems. The clearer and more comfortable we are the easier it is to embrace the world around us and find our place in it.
So please come home to your now and enjoy it for what it is, another beautiful or perhaps uncomfortable moment leading you to what’s next. And although doing the work can be choppy at times it always leads to larger vistas and a new way of seeing yourself, those around you, and the world. Don’t be surprised to find at the bottom of all that work is divine play, this is just another funny reminder life has for us when we really start to pay attention. Honor what you are living and figuring and working through.
It’s never one and done or “X” marks the spot, our lives are a continual evolution and deepening in awareness. We are like the lotus, ever blooming, ever expanding, ever opening. Be ready to enjoy what comes your way.
kb
