Rejoice In The Way Things Are
I draw inspiration from many things: books I am reading, people I speak to and my own pain. We all draw inspiration from our experiences and others around us. Today it is Mark Nepo. I absolutely relate to him because like me he fought cancer and I am still fighting it. I am proud of him and I am proud of little Elliott who thinks himself deserving of life and breath. Of course doing this alone would be much harder and having all of you makes the big difference.
Here is the quote today:
"Be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there's nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you"
Lao Tzu
Many a quote is translated and it is harder to decode what the person may have meant just as my Spanish sayings are difficult to translate to English and have the same impact. It is like the saying "we are born along and we die alone" or "some people drown in a glass of water". " They ate the cake before the wedding". I love the last one because this one was my grandfather's saying which was code for for the couple had sex prior to getting married, "ate the cake". OMG, LOL.
And as usual I digress. I was talking about "rejoicing in what we have and the things we can cherish" Like love and understanding and family and the ability to walk without the aid of a crutch or a wheelchair. But moreover rejoicing in all of it. The blades of grass that sway outside my window. The comfortable sofa in our living area. The hot bath with the olive oil bubbles. The small things in life like that first cup of coffee in the morning. Rejoicing in the way things are.
I have cancer yet I can honestly say to all of you that I am rejoicing in the way things are. This morning my friends drove five hours from Michigan where they live to visit me. They stopped on their way to go see their niece in Decalb. On their way back they are going to come see me in the evening on Sunday for dinner. Tomorrow afternoon two other friends are coming from the city and they are brining me some lunch, dessert and likely some flowers. These guys are gems taking the time to visit me and drive or an hour to do so. Those are the things to rejoice about. The way things are. We so often wish for more and want more. Gee, why don't my other friends come to visit or my other friends don't take the time to come and see me. We don't rejoice in what we have. This is it and this is now and this is enough and this is plenty, rather than this is not enough and there needs to be more.
I am rejoicing in the fact that I am safe at home listening to meditation music and writing this message for all of you. I am rejoicing in the fact that I can almost always walk without the aid of a person. I am joyfully rejoicing for the visit from my friends be it for a few hours because when I got in my car to come home I already missed them and wished they'd stayed overnight. They had a plan which was to celebrate me and then their niece. I can rejoice in the time I did have with them. I can be happy with what I have. That is the meaning of rejoicing in what we are and what we have. Not looking for more and not feeling like it's not enough.
As you look around you find the things to rejoice in. Write them down and take pictures of them. A flower, a chair, your dog or cat. Celebrate what you have rejoice in it.
Here is the quote today:
"Be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there's nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you"
Lao Tzu
Many a quote is translated and it is harder to decode what the person may have meant just as my Spanish sayings are difficult to translate to English and have the same impact. It is like the saying "we are born along and we die alone" or "some people drown in a glass of water". " They ate the cake before the wedding". I love the last one because this one was my grandfather's saying which was code for for the couple had sex prior to getting married, "ate the cake". OMG, LOL.
And as usual I digress. I was talking about "rejoicing in what we have and the things we can cherish" Like love and understanding and family and the ability to walk without the aid of a crutch or a wheelchair. But moreover rejoicing in all of it. The blades of grass that sway outside my window. The comfortable sofa in our living area. The hot bath with the olive oil bubbles. The small things in life like that first cup of coffee in the morning. Rejoicing in the way things are.
I have cancer yet I can honestly say to all of you that I am rejoicing in the way things are. This morning my friends drove five hours from Michigan where they live to visit me. They stopped on their way to go see their niece in Decalb. On their way back they are going to come see me in the evening on Sunday for dinner. Tomorrow afternoon two other friends are coming from the city and they are brining me some lunch, dessert and likely some flowers. These guys are gems taking the time to visit me and drive or an hour to do so. Those are the things to rejoice about. The way things are. We so often wish for more and want more. Gee, why don't my other friends come to visit or my other friends don't take the time to come and see me. We don't rejoice in what we have. This is it and this is now and this is enough and this is plenty, rather than this is not enough and there needs to be more.
I am rejoicing in the fact that I am safe at home listening to meditation music and writing this message for all of you. I am rejoicing in the fact that I can almost always walk without the aid of a person. I am joyfully rejoicing for the visit from my friends be it for a few hours because when I got in my car to come home I already missed them and wished they'd stayed overnight. They had a plan which was to celebrate me and then their niece. I can rejoice in the time I did have with them. I can be happy with what I have. That is the meaning of rejoicing in what we are and what we have. Not looking for more and not feeling like it's not enough.
As you look around you find the things to rejoice in. Write them down and take pictures of them. A flower, a chair, your dog or cat. Celebrate what you have rejoice in it.
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