Human Being

What it is, is a journey of consciousness
    A flow of realization and discovery
         A participation of presence and manifestation
                A co-creation of joy and wonder.

All the rest is mirage and a chasing after wind.

Thrive

A colleague wrote on her e-mail signature the word "thrive".  Simply...thrive.  What a wonderful farewell.  Much more succinct than "live long and prosper" (thank you Spock), and not as easily misunderstood.  When we thrive we are in the zone of our whole being.  We are fully alive.  There is no comparison, nor waiting for more, nor tyranny of "should".  When we thrive we are dwelling in the wisdom of joy and gratitude.  Whatever is, is enough...and we are willling to enter the next moment.

From that simple charge from a colleague, I created an affirmation that sometimes helps to ground me.

I choose to be awake.
I choose to be fully present in love.
I choose to say "yes" to my life.
I choose to thrive.

That's Love

I was in a women’s self-defense class, clad in knee pads and elbow cushions, hidden behind a full helmet with a face cage.  We students looked ready for a roller derby, anxious and hesitant; though our soon-to-be physical contact with our teacher, the aggressor, was in no way a sport.  Our attire was light compared to that of our instructor, who donned pads and protections over most of her body in preparation for our forceful defense to simulated attacks.

As I stood on the sideline, nervously awaiting my turn, I watched our leader offer her skill, focus, body and determination to give us the chance to learn how to claim our space, our worth, our freedom to be.  She lumbered around, bite plate intact, commanding an outfit resembling the Michelin tire man, receiving blows, shouts, head butts and shoves to give us confidence, awareness, insight and options.

Our teacher/aggressor came to this work as a forensic nurse.  Having witnessed the result of violent crimes towards hundreds of women, ages 6 months to 96 years, she gathered her hard-earned wisdom to help transform society,  person by person.  This nurse, whose heart could have fully hardened from the world she observed in her days, opened herself to teach, to face reality and practice hope.

That’s love.

When we gather our vulnerability, our pain, our fear and yet choose to give, to share and affirm others, we manifest love.  When we teach because we have learned, when we embrace because we have needed holding, when we welcome our days because they are before us, we are practicing love.

That’s not something I expected to learn that evening.  But the lesson was there, and a blessing to behold.