Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Listening for the lessons

I just love the light in this picture -- the sparkle of the waves, the patches of light on the dark boat.

It's yet another wonderful reminder that we need the dark parts in our lives -- and in our souls -- to really appreciate, value, and set apart the bright spots that occur.

So if, like me, you struggle a bit with the parts of you that are negative, resentful or snarky; if you're wondering why -- after all these years of reading and study and meditation and retreats -- you still get bent out of shape over relatively inconsequential things... just know: it's normal, it's okay, it's human, and it will pass -- there's even a blessing in it, particularly if we are conscious about honoring and releasing the feeling rather than stuffing it down or dwelling on it.

Nursing a sense of injustice seems to me to be a guaranteed recipe for disaster.  But so does hating yourself for not being perfect, for having a dark side, or being selfish.  Find a middle way, learn to listen for the wonderful lessons your dark side has to offer, and sail on; sail on!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Thank you, thank you, thank you for this! That last paragraph especially was exactly what I needed to hear today.