Developing Quality: Compassion

Railroad ride the afternoon before. Waking in a different setting - a bustling city. A colorful coffee shop with lively discussions and pleasing aromas~

Compassion is something that you can develop with practice. It involves two things: intention and action. Intention simply means you remember to open your heart to others;you expand what and who matters, from yourself to other people. Action is simply the "what you do about it." Compassion develops your sense of gratitude by taking your attention off all the little things that most of us have learned to take too seriously. When you take time, often, to reflect on the miracle of life - the miracle that you are even able to read this book - the gift of sight, of love, and all the rest, it can help to remind you that many of the things that you think of as "big stuff" are really just "small stuff" that you are turning into big stuff.  -Richard Carlson, Don't Sweat the Small Stuff... and It's All Small Stuff

    These words really speak to a core anxiety of mine. Am I being as compassionate and loving as I can in my interactions with others? I am a "helper" type of person. I will bend over backwards and change my plans in order to be open and assist those around me. It means quite a bit to me to know that I have done everything that I can for someone in need. Perhaps not meeting all their needs, but most definitely the ones that I can. So, it is nice to know that having compassion for those around me only takes a shift in my thinking. Of course, then I just need to followup with my actions. Take the steps before me.
   Thinking about compassion and making myself aware of how I interact with people every day allows me to notice things. I notice how often I want to interrupt people and draw the focus back on myself. I notice how I preserve a distance from people at first while I size them up - making little judgments before deciding how to relate to them. I notice how I often write people off and choose to invest nothing in our interaction.
   These are the traits and actions that build up the walls in our communities and instill anxieties within ourselves. I love realizing that compassion, when properly cultivated, will breed gratitude. Having gratitude for the gifts and miracles in your life really makes anxieties just melt away. Hard to worry about a potentially negative interaction with a coworker when you can appreciate your ability to devote yourself to your work. And all those logistics and details of taking a trip? Well, just focus on appreciating the natural beauty that you get to enjoy.
   Compassion will generate gratitude. Gratitude will add joy to your life. In my personal experience, it has been so rewarding to focus on the lives and stories of others. It is a blissful retreat to be released from living within yourself - to get out of your own thoughts about yourself. Amazing encounters and stories are out there.

Be open. Practice compassion. Enjoy the quiet rewards.

Miracles and Worth

Winter sunlight pouring in through the windows. Curled up in a warm room, on a cozy bed, and with a delicious aroma spilling from my mug~

There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as if everything is a miracle. -Albert Einstein

    I know that I have heard this thought before. Whether it was Mr Einstein or another original mind, the heart of the concept is the same. Do you walk along seeing the world as a beautiful place that was wonderfully made and set before us to explore and treasure? Or do you go along in your normal day-to-day practices without noticing the miraculous, even if it was set right before you? I suppose that I like to picture myself as an "everything is a miracle" kind of person. That there truly is wonder and beauty in everything around us.
   However, looking back, I can not convince myself that I am living that way. I think that I used to, but have lost much of that wonder and awe. I suppose growing up does that. The worst moment was when I felt my imagination slip away. I was a very imaginative child. I could spend hours spinning imagined tales and living out the grand adventures of the characters in my mind. The world was a playground where anything was possible. Then two things came into my life: video games and bullies. The former left me with no opportunity to imagine my own world. The latter scared and shamed the imagination right out of me.
   So, I would say that I live hoping for miracles. Yet once you are living that path of the day-to-day, it becomes increasingly difficult to recognize the miraculous. Everything becomes normal and expected. It takes a real massive event to shake you.
   How do we re-cultivate our imaginations and learn to appreciate the miracles around us?
   Personally, I will start by learning to see and appreciate the worth of everything around me. Seems the best way to break the monotony of the expected each day. The sun rises each morning to wake us and warm the land for us to venture out of our homes. Music is composed and played to lift our spirits and speak to our souls. Food and drink are prepared and enjoyed to nourish our bodies and excite our taste buds. We connect with each other through the casual hellos and the warm hugs. We amaze and stun each other with the freedom of our behavior. We love and support each other. Every day we work to find our own worth and appreciate the worthiness in others. -These are the first steps to seeing miracles.-

Keep stepping. Miracles await.

The Ledger

Early morning sunlight cascading over frozen peaks. Crumbs from my breakfast on the table. Tea steam in the air~

Every moment and every event of man's life on earth plants something in his soul. -Thomas Merton

  I adore this truth. It brings me hope and peace in those times when the events of my life seem too confusing to be meaningful or too painful to bring anything good. In those unsettling moments, I can remind myself that I am merely doing the work that builds a great life. True joy and that full sense of worthiness will only be ours if we allow our lives to be full - of every emotion and experience. Stay diligent and let the work happen.
  Like many, the new year led me to reflect upon my life thus far and where my path is leading. Along the way, I realized that I do have many little moments and events that enrich my soul each day. I am an avid journal writer, but sometimes long-winded words do me no favors. I merely want to record that unique moment to remember and treasure down the road.
   Enter The Ledger...
  I have begun to keep my own personal ledger. Not for tracking the financial business of my life. Rather, to record the true gathering of wealth. A ledger to keep track of those little moments and events that lift my soul and make this life on earth truly blessed. A short recount of the experience and the date. Simple. I look forward to developing my ability to notice these moments when they arrive. Down the road, I will look back through my ledger and that is how I will measure my wealth on this realm.

May all our ledger entries be plentiful~

Giving Time To Grow

Hearty beef-barley soup with whole grain bread. Brie on the side. And, of course, some tea spiraling steam into the air.

Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant. --Robert Stevenson

  Perhaps it is the constant cold of winter. Or maybe the routine tasks of my work. Could even be the predictable rhythms of my rising, preparing, feeding, winding down, and sleeping. Whatever the factors may be, my days do seem to be repeating. Sometimes it is hard to distinguish one day from the next. Performing the same tasks, going to the same places, and seeing the same people. Yes, it is often quite easy to be unsatisfied by my days. I suppose that I am looking for the instant and recognizable proof that my day mattered. That I did something really worthy.
  However, there are some days where those instant results - those warm,fuzzy moments or clear results tasks - just don't happen. Instead, the work that you do and the moments that you have are merely small preparations for something bigger. I think that I have been told this over and over, but it is true. Anything really worth having is worth the work and long wait. So when my day feels unfulfilled and the monotony becomes overwhelming, I can find peace in reminding myself of the something larger that I am working towards. I can appreciate the little things as mere steps along the path. Thinking this way makes everyday a step forward. I am learning and progressing.
  So, maybe those routine days are not meant to give you meaning. Perhaps they are meant to teach you something. Live into them graciously. Routine for you could be meaningful for someone you meet.

Take time to learn~

Starting a New Year

A cold January morning. Lightly falling snow giving way to sunshine and bright blue skies~

  Here I stand at the beginning of the New Year. Another collection of 12 months with opportunities and unknowns. Another chance to work harder and achieve more. With all this laid out before me, I experience an odd mix of anxiety and excitement. At this point, I could become overwhelmed and stall out. However, I know that it only takes a little bit of focus to channel all that nervous energy into productive and healthy motivation.
  So, here's to a New Year of potential and reflection. So much time for friends, discussions, and learning.

Love what is ahead by loving what has come before.

  Yes, on this first day of the new year, we all have the lyrics to Aulde Lang Syne running through our minds. Should those old acquaintances be forgot? No - for the sake of old times, we honor and treasure those friends of old. A new year does not mean leaving behind every part of your previous life. Our very being is a compilation of the experiences we have had and the people we have known. You can't very well cut out a whole part of who you are. We must honor and value what is in our past, but be ever attentive to our future.
  So, blessings for the year ahead. May you treasure who you have been, who you are, and who you will become~