Ebb & Flow

“Life has its ebb & flow. Meditation is to be an active participant in the unfolding of life” ~ Andy Puddicombe

Most of our lives we live with the misconception that w are in control. That by working harder or by not working so much, by being richer or living a plainer lifestyle, having more friends or being a loner, by achieving what we see as the ideal life, we will be happier, more contented and satisfied. We know what is best for us and once we get it, all will be well in our world. Unfortunately, that isn’t the way the world, and by extension, our lives work.

We are reminded of this by the distinct seasons that we have here in Canada. The winter is cold and desolate, the spring brings milder temperatures and along with them the new growth, summers are hot , while in the autumn we see the trees change colour and lose their leaves, as we bring in the harvest to feed us through the winter. Whenever this cycle is disrupted or goes ‘off program’, we are reminded that WE cannot control nature. If there are storms, we hunker down. When the weather is pleasant we do the outdoor things. We do not go golfing in the midst of a thunderstorm, even if it has been planned for ages, neither do we head off on a car ride in the midst of an ice storm to see the frozen beauty of Niagara Falls. We are not in control and we know this. We are what Puddicombe calls an ‘active participant’.

“Live the reality that is, rather than the reality you would like it to be.” These words were part of a sermon I heard a few weeks ago. It is so easy, isn't it, to live the reality you want it to be, without even realizing that is what you
are doing.

Perhaps your reality [or illusion] is [for example] that you have a family life with no hassles and upsets. When that isn’t the reality you are actually living, you become upset and stressed trying to change the others in the situation to match your perception of reality. If instead, you accept the reality that you are actually living in an environment with stress and hassle, then you can start making adjustments in how you respond, learning to live with what is, rather then what you pretended the reality was..

Just as we live the unfolding of the seasons, we are called to live the reality in the rest of our lives too. We are not in control of nor can we influence that reality. But rather we are meant be active participants as that reality unfolds over time; day by day, minute by minute.

"Life is not a problem to be solved but a reality to be experienced."

Soren Kierkegaard

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