Occasionally, I come back to this idea of simple things, because sometimes it’s just what I need. Simple things that keep us centered, like spending a minute focusing on our own steady, rhythmic breathing.
Many times, though, like today, simple things seem to vie for my attention, the Spirit’s reminder that simplicity is the essence of life, that common, everyday things, procedures, events, people, animals, plants, or any of the other myriad possibilities offer us a connection with the Universe. This is part of the way of the heart, one area in which those who are in the fellowship of the heart can rejoice together, one that can even produce at least temporary peace for those who have not awakened to their own hearts. Today, my simple pleasure, the one, the “it,” truly is simple, very simple in one way, yet as so often happens, a simple thing that is incredibly complex. We could say that just noticing and focusing on a flower is simple, and it is. However, if we begin to really examine it, we see the structural and functional complexity in something like a sunflower and come to understand the ripples of complexity flowing from the simple thing. However, to see something so incredibly complex and just view it as simple and giving pleasure is the way of the Universe to spread beauty. Now, I’m not only talking about things; we might realize something that just never quite struck us in the same way before, never quite caught our attention. Today, for me, it was an idea that I had thought about, but something about it just hit me this time, connected with me. I likened it to an idea that might grab my mind, my thoughts, by the metaphorical front of the collar, twist it just short of choking, and give a gentle “Hey, pay attention” shake. So, I did. My simple idea this morning, the one that made me smile, was the point of my pen on the page of my little journal. It’s just as relevant here, with my fingers hitting keys; in fact, maybe it’s more relevant because a nerve impulse signal needs to be sent from my brain to my fingers to press the right key, similar to the letters leaping off the end of my pen when writing by hand. It’s just a joy to me to see words forming, and in one sense not knowing how the drops of the spring of thoughts in my mind will come splashing out onto the page. It’s takes only milliseconds for this to happen; it intrigues me, makes me smile, satisfies me, enriches me. I think of how those thought drops coalesce into streams of sentences and into a flow of paragraphs, which eventually lead to coherent rivers of thoughts in the form of articles, books, or novels. I never considered this simple thing of putting down words on the page until I started writing this much. I thought I wrote a fair amount before, but to do this every day for almost six months now has created a whole new dimension for me, one in which I appreciate each letter and each word rushing towards complete, more complex thoughts. Simple yet complex — seems to be a theme today. Sometimes, as I suggested at the start of this, we need to just close all else out and focus on our own breath, our own life rhythm, and get a sense of the simplicity around us, and glom onto one specific thing. Consider it, translate it into words, and give thanks for it. This can for a little while put us in the flow of the complexity of the Universe, but in a simple way. We don’t have to know philosophy, follow a procedure, or get a degree to connect with Life, Nature, or the Universe on our own terms, and this can be helped by deliberately setting out to notice the simple things around us that are pleasing, fulfilling, reassuring, and smile-producing. Give yourself a break like this, anytime, anywhere, and let that smile spread. Hey, maybe it’s your smile that is the simple thing. What is “it” for you today? Sometimes, it may be that your “it” is the very thing that leads to awakening or insight into a life purpose of your own design. Go for “it.”
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Questions to consider:How many times have you asked yourself or simply thought about the following questions?
Who am I, really? What is my truth? How do my actions reveal what I really feel and believe? What would I do with my life if I could do anything? What is my passion? Why am I here? How can I discover answers to any of these questions? If you have considered any of these questions, I hope that my experiences and writing will give you some guidance. Please read my blog and comment and share your thoughts. I would love to hear from you! Archives
December 2019
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