Generosity is a wonderful practice to cultivate on a daily basis with ourselves and in our relationships with other human beings. When I am challenged by a significant change in my life which calls for me to adapt and adjust, an act of generosity can allow me to transform the reactive churning of the mind and redirect the attention to an act of goodness. I respond rather than react. At times, being generous to myself would be acknowledging the true impact of the change and holding myself with a compassionate and tender attitude without judgement. At other times a kindness to myself would be knowing the time to just sit quietly or knowing when it is time to get up and move. Change can be overwhelming. Knowing what an act of generosity feels like; the shape of it in your body, is a good memory to repeat over and over again. Change can come from a deep knowing from within and it can also be forced upon us from outer circumstances such as an unseen threat of a pandemic, a death, or a great loss, or large and small disappointments. Sometimes change does not always make sense until it happens. Sometimes it comes from a deep intuitive place from within and it still does not totally make sense. In any case, I find myself resisting change; wanting things to be the same; wanting circumstances to go back to ‘normal’ or battling with all the complex emotions that arise. For the last year Covid 19 has presented all of us with so many challenges. At times nothing seems to have changed, at other times everything has changed, and we are left trying to accept that nothing will be the same again. An act of Generosity to ourselves or others, comes out of a place of Love. Yes, Love is sitting here, right next door to the Fear which tends to pull us off careening into a dire future. And then I notice that if I strengthen my attitude of love, in my life, each day, in acts of generosity or in loving kindness meditation, the fear begins to lessen and not have such a hold on the moment.
These days it is imperative for me, to take a daily meditative visit to the untouched, unscathed part of my humanness in this body ….. Being…… at my core. Initially this means making the time and space for me to just be and breath and hold myself with an attitude of tender heartedness. At first, I notice the impact of the busyness of Life swirling around me and inside me as I begin to settle into the stillness of the moment, It is so important to sense and learn to tolerate the heartache and yes………. the joy of being human. It is our aliveness that matters most. Our gifts to share with the world are numerous. The real challenge, is how do I stay loving myself and recognise the value of my gifts, while taking my seat in the midst of great global suffering and personal pain? How do we recognise and share our purpose in Life with clarity and wisdom…..going forward from here?
Please join me in conversation. Together we can explore what is important, so we can all live our lives with more ease and happiness and yes…… Joy