May 11

INTEGRITY MONTH: DAY 11:

“Watch any plant or animal and let it teach you acceptance of what is, surrender to the Now.

Let it teach you Being.

Let it teach you integrity — which means to be one, to be yourself, to be real.

Let it teach you how to live and how to die, and how not to make living and dying into a problem.”

― Eckhart Tolle

As a gardener, addicted to growing things, and as a devoted animal lover, I love the use of these examples of integrity. I have never seen an artichoke plant trying to be a beet or tomato. Nor have I watched a bird trying to pull off life as a whale. The main reason I am so devoted to both of these types of life is because they exemplify integrity. They do not make drama out of any part of their existence and never fail to give the very best that is in them. I grow roses wherever I live and have never tired of the beautiful flowers they continuously provide me, no matter how many times I have dug them up and moved them. I have two roses that have been moved six times, and they are spectacularly beautiful in every setting where we have gone. We are meant to be able to adapt to the changing world around us without complaining, without fear, without drama. It is amazing to me that humans have evolved to this point in time and still whine when their lives are changing in some small and insignificant (or even very large) way. Life is all change, there is nothing else! Our minds and bodies begin to change the minute we are conceived. Growth and development never stop for us. We learn and we grow and we are built to change. Accepting those changes is not meant to be a challenge at all! Our ego tells us we are doing well at certain stages and that we are not in need of making changes or that we should fight any changes coming along, because they are going to kill us or cause us grievous harm…really??? How often has that ever been true? I have several friends and family members who suffer from anxiety and panic because their fear-based thinking is so in charge of their lives. I have been there. Take away my courage (cocaine and scotch), and I think I have to do this thing called life all by myself. I am out running and gunning and making shit happen, but I fail, because I have no integrity with a spiritual way of life…oh! We have a motto around here, “Let go and Let God.” It is a good one, but what does that mean? It means that we can see that the world around us is totally arranged to operate beautifully, without any interference by us. You did absolutely NOTHING to earn or deserve your current or next breath…it is a gift, grace. The same holds true for everything in your life…you have lungs and a heart and legs and arms…all of these things are gifts for you…along with your mind and your spirit and your soul. If the best resource is your mind, you are SO in trouble! While you may be singularly intelligent, it will give you NO help in navigating a spiritual way of life! Oh! Remember it was the fine instrument that told you that drugs and alcohol were your best resource and friend. Oh yeah! When we are looking for integrity, do not go to those things related to man…they are faulty because they are not created in integrity or with integrity most of the time. They are man-made, faulty, fragile, and capable of letting you down. Go to the stuff that is created by a Universal Being who created YOU…in love and honor and integrity. You have a small voice inside you that knows what your journey is…listen to THAT. Let yourself be guided on your journey by your heart, not your head. Do not try to figure it out, let it unfold, like the petals of a perfect rose…not those roses that have been tampered with by men of science; but the ones that are natural and have integrity. We walk this thing and find miracles every day, yet deny the evidence and try to take credit for it…as a gardener and animal lover, I tell you, my only job is caretaker for these things…even myself!