The Beauty of it

A reflection from the author Mark Nepo:

"If all I have is Now,
where will I look for Joy?"

Without hope for the future, without hope that things will change, with no hope of finding what's been lost, with only the risk to crack open all that has hardened about me, what will I do with what I have?

At first, this might seem scary or sad, but as a tired swimmer comes ashore surprised to find pearls washing through his legs, I lift my tired head again and again to find all I need is right where I am.

But being human, I stray and dream of lives other then my own, and soon I am busy wanting something else, somewhere else, someone else, busy imagining something just out of reach to strive for.

It leads me to say if you are unhappy or in pain, nothing will remove these surfaces. But acceptance and a strong heart will crack then like a shell, exposing a softness that has always been, exposing a soft thing waiting to take form. It glows. I think is the one spirit we all share.

This is from the book, "The Book of Awakening:Having the Life You Want By Present With the Life You Have" It has daily meditations and exercise to help bring you back to the present moment. I really liked this one about how the things you have are the things you should want. Makes me chuckle a little because when I get frustrated about the situations in my life I have to remember that this is what I wanted at some point, my life right now is the life I always said I wanted....Taking time to ponder this, helps you return to your true self. It is a good reminder of how to be thankful in the present moment. The things I have are the things I want...