Cosmic Gardener – Cultivating a Life

Forty years ago I was asked for  one key piece of advice about how to positively manage life. At the time I was working in healthcare, and the person asking was in the last days of a three week intensive rehab program. It was a question they were asking most of us that had worked closely with them. They were compiling a notebook of key takeaways from their transformative experiences at the center.

It was an intimidating question. How could I distill one bit of wisdom (if there had been any) from the hours we had spent in conversation?

After brief reflection (they were in a hurry) I blurted, Seek Balance. Whereupon they immediately responded, “And I’m the only one that can know what that is for me.” With that comeback I had no doubt that as they faced the life challenges that would surely follow, they would remember (and use) the tools hard won through their hard work.   

Recently I had the opportunity to offer similar input during a chance encounter in a retail setting. It was early morning and the self-checkout area was deserted except for the store employee who was happy to engage with me.

The associate was gifted in customer service and conversation, and I asked if they liked the work. “It pays the bills.” A bit stunned at their candor, I inquired as to their previous employment. The current work was clearly a positive alternative.

By now we were facing each other. Seeing no joy in their eyes I risked asking, “What are you going to do with the rest of your life?,’ which resulted in a shrug and “Whatever shows up.”

Looking them straight in the eye I said, ‘Whatever unfolds have fun. And be kind.’ We shook hands and I left with my purchase, them with a conundrum.

That encounter spurred the memory of the one a generation earlier. Together it occurred to me that the takeaways from the two offer a simple foundation for a life well lived.

Seek Balance. Have Fun. Be Kind. Life is not a spectator sport.

Recently there has been loss of family members among those in my social network. Others in my circle are facing end of life. As I considered the inevitability of death I reflected on the Buddhist concept of befriending it. A practice that offers an opportunity to make peace with our mortality in order to more fully live.

My mind drifted to the metaphysical idea that we are temporary visitors in our bodies. Tourists. I know a lot about being a tourist having traveled to fifty countries and visited all fifty of the United States. I have been a responsible tourist.

As I tied these reflections together I wondered, Have I been a responsible tourist in my own backyard, my body? Have I minimized negative influences? Have I engaged with it in a positive way that supports its vitality? Have I been respectful?

Chronology, condition and capacity influenced my worldly travel. The same considerations impact my physical wellbeing. Experience has been my teacher. Learning to be a responsible tourist has enriched all my life journeys.

No matter life’s circumstances we always have the agency of choice.

We can choose to ask for Grace.
We can choose to look for Gratitude in the situation.
We can choose to practice Patience in our acceptance of it.

Claiming our agency in the face of what confronts us offers opportunity for peace.

Our relationships define us. Some we inherit, such as those in our family of origin. Some are selective, like our family of choice. Some show up in the course of our everyday lives, through vocational endeavors, commerce, or leisure pursuits. Whether relationships are long term, transitory or fleeting, respect, kindness and thoughtful communication are foundational to a healthy society.

As we go about our days, there will be disagreement. Discord needn’t lead to disrespect. Where there is kindness, honest conversation does not have to be harsh.

While it may be easier to get along with someone with whom we are especially close, ironically, we sometimes take thoughtless communications shortcuts. We may not always voice a “thank you” for instance, taking for granted that our gratitude (for some consideration) is implied. Thoughtfulness is the glue of relationship.

The people that populate our lives are our teachers. We don’t have to agree on everything to be thoughtful, kind and respectful in our interactions.

“Intentional kindness is love in action.”
~ Cosmic Gardener

Rest in peace. Embrace that platitude as you go about your life, not just as a passing thought of one deceased. Peace can be yours no matter the circumstances in which you find yourself.

Peace is a choice. Choose to embrace peace.

Recently I had a chat with a friend about personal challenges and troubling global events. After a fair amount of commiseration I allowed that, like it or not, things were after all the way they were. I wondered, with that acceptance, what could we do to manage our response to events without giving away our peace of mind?

For several days I had been pondering the meaning and implications of surrender, and during our discussion the phrase ‘surrender is benevolent acceptance’ dropped into my mind. I reflected on the wisdom of letting go.

What if we surrendered to the idea that we live in a benevolent Universe, and accepted that things do happen for a reason and have value, despite sometimes evidence to the contrary? What if surrendering to what is, led to peace of mind?

Surrender is a complex, ambiguous concept that I surrender to further contemplation. Benevolent acceptance has been a good place for me to start.

It is a good thing to periodically clean out our mental and emotional cobwebs. We don’t need to know where they all lurk; merely ask the Master Sweeper for help to clear them from our life.

Cobwebs be gone! Let the sunshine in.

Life flows like a metaphorical, metaphysical river. When we release and surrender we experience smooth sailing.

Allow Love to be your Source, force and rudder. It will never steer you amiss.

Life is eternal.
You are in its flow.
Let Love carry you.

When we make peace with our self we can create harmony in all our relations.

Personal upset notwithstanding, between political frenzy and weather extremes, the year ending was especially dense for many of us. I’ve been thinking about what thoughts, emotions and circumstances I want to leave behind in its twelve months.

Letting go. Defined by words such as “Surrender” and “Release” and phrases such as “Let go and let God” it seems to me that it finds meaning in the act of ~

~ letting go of hurt and anger
~ letting go of outcomes, and expectations
~ letting go of control
~ letting go of the need to know

I followed that train of thought into my sleep time and awoke to the refrain, ‘Let it go, let it go, let it go’ coursing through my brain to the tune of the popular Christmas carol “Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.” It made me smile to picture such a complex subject in such a light-hearted framework.

“Important doesn’t have to be serious.”
~ Albert Wilhelm

Mind your energy. Share it when it flows. Guard it when you are weary.

Pay attention to the messages of your body. They come from your Higher Self, and can be trusted.

I believe that our bodies are our blackboards, a place where our higher self leaves messages for us, and as such that they are our partners in our spiritual development. Regardless therapies or affirmations we use relative to those conditions that present themselves, we can be sure that if we are not attentive to or are dismissive of their underlying messages they will persist until acknowledged.

Our body’s job is to partner with us and teach us how to become more whole, no matter the symptoms it shows us. That we are souls having a human experience, living in two worlds, sometimes we are out of balance.  Malaise, for example, may simply be a call for more rest.

If we study what is written on our body we can learn to heal our life, no matter what we read.