GRATITUDE MONTH: DAY 23: “Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” ― William Arthur Ward
When people are dying, the loved ones are devastated by those things they did NOT do. Seldom do the things they did haunt them as much.
We can all be “too busy,” whatever that means. It is usually a sign of martyrdom and used too often as an excuse for the ego to practice self-will. Being “busy” isn’t a good social construct, although people say it like it is.
When we are “too busy,” we are usually living in an ego state of self-importance and chronic rush. This is how we disengage from life and rush from one thing to another without any connection to what we are doing or where we are going.
We leave behind us, in the wake of our “busy-ness” the loved ones we proclaim to adore and those with whom we believe we have relationships. Connecting with other people is the thing that addiction and ego do not allow.
When we take time to be mindful of what we are doing and how we are doing it, we are present to life and can make connections with others. Sometimes, this informs us more deeply than anything we can do apart from that.
Life takes place in those moments. When we have spent our time rushing around and not connecting, we will feel empty and depleted and wonder why we have a strong sense of discomfort and sadness or grief. It is due to the disconnection we feel from the things that we KNOW truly matter; but which we seem to put on hold because we are “so busy.”
What if we all stopped cooking way too much food today and spent the time REALLY being with those we love and want to hang out with. Take a hike, have an engaged conversation, one on one, with each member of that family who are so busy running around, doing busy work and vegging out with food and TV and drinking. What if there were a true hour of prayer and meditation, as a group.
What if there were no distractions between you and them? What would happen? What if everyone could show up without being dragged through the fire by commuting across country or being busy with a sundry group of things to disengage from all the people they loved?
WOW! Perhaps, instead of a 5-second time frame while waiting to eat the food laid out in front of them during which we expressed our gratitude, what about an hour with each person to really relate to them and know who the hell they really are.
WOW! What if we all sat in a circle with nothing else going on, and talked about our deepest fears and our deepest joys? Not our new jobs, bigger house and new car, etc. REAL FEELINGS!
WOW! Let’s all try THAT! And perhaps, our lives will be enriched and fulfilled in ways we never knew before. Maybe. I think it could work!
Dolphin Hug 