Sometimes all I need is the air that I breathe. At other times this expansive interconnected to the Universe sensation has faded into its my turn to take out the trash. Don’t get me wrong. When you take out the trash you get to go outside, breathe in some fresh fragrant air and see wonderful shades of green and blue. Yes, living in Florida does give me all year access to the beautiful out of doors. From Austen’s point of view, my daughter’s Bichon-poodle going outside is the most wonderful thing in the world next to eating or begging patiently for food.
However, faded is the key word for now. Jeans washed over and over fade into comfort.
Logos on shirts fade away. How about unwanted thoughts in your mind? Or unwanted feelings in your body?
How many times have you waited and waited for an event to happen or to acquire a wanted item and missed much of what was actually happening while you were intent on “waiting?” And then like a youngster after a birthday party enjoying the momentary thrill of each gift for shorter and shorter amounts of time.
In time we begin to suspect that waiting for happiness to come in the form of an outside gift is wasting precious moments of life that could more beneficially be enjoyed from the inside rather than from the outside. Yes, when the outside presents itself with gifts of love, joy, friendship, material possessions thoughts and warm sunshine go for it and enjoy with gusto. But at the same time you notice that this happiness is impermanent. And along with that is the ability to more often be okay when you do not get precisely what you had wanted.
The growing dispassion reduces the conditioned habits of mind that had been stirring up greediness, self-indulgence or hunger. As these fade your heart becomes lighter and more open. Your mind expands with space for compassion and sympathetic joy for others..
You might even begin to find more moments of enjoyment in the present. The air is fresh outside (or inside); enjoy it right now — take in a slow deep soothing breath.
Spiritual Gravity 