I was in the store yesterday, and as often times happens, a rather large queue formed. The three tills were down to one, the lady on the till was new, you know the story.
It had been a while since I’ve experienced this, but I could feel the people in the queue almost shaking with impatience, with that “hurry up, right now, get out of my way” kind of deal.
You know that I’m sure…
I live in a smallish country town, in the more relaxed north of England so the people aren’t that stressed. But yet there was a definite need for speed about them. A definite push to be somewhere else.
If you read yesterday’s email - you might say a definite non-acceptance of that fact that they aren't in control of the queue.
It was even worse when I lived in the south and would host meditation courses. People would come direct from London, it was a simple 1.5 hour drive.
Most of them would show up literally at a million miles an hour, a real sense of “go, go, go!!” They would come in like little spinning tops, seemingly unable to take anything in, just looking for the next thing, the next goal, the next appointment, the next thing to race towards, even when that was dinner.
That there is a big problem for just about all of humanity.
That race to do and achieve, to tick things off the list, to move to the next thing. It’s there in the sense of making sure you do all the things you want to do in the day. But more importantly, it’s there in the sense of striving to become, to be different, to get somewhere within yourself.
That this moment, and who you are in this moment, is not enough.
Achieving goals is a wonderful, fulfilling thing, but it needs to be equally balanced with a deep sense of living now.
A sense of being present and fully alive to this moment despite your to do list and where you need to be in 10 minutes time.
A taking back control of your own happiness and not putting it in achieving and getting somewhere, but making it an internal choice, an internal decision to simply be content no matter what.
An exercising of the choice to stop and smell the roses alongside the highway of life.
So where ever you may be when you read this, stop the race to become and achieve, stop struggling and striving, just for a few moments. Give yourself to now, bring yourself back to your body.
If you have them, use an Ascension Attitude. Pay attention and allow your awareness to fill up, and just be here for a moment. Slow down.
Make that your base, your foundation and go from there.
Good job! Have the best of days.
Keep the Peace,
- Arjuna
PS. Finally I have dates for the Bright Path Ishayas’ Ascension meditation course. Hurrah!
You are formally invited to the weekend course here in Richmond, North Yorkshire (a very relaxed and pretty town - just don’t join a queue)
Dates are the 16 and 17 April. We begin on the Friday (15th at 7pm).
There are some beds available if you want to stay and make it into a “mini-retreat” and are okay with cats.
Anyhow - more details are coming, just set aside the date.