The Most Important Thing
“I always say to myself, what is the most important thing we can think about at this extraordinary moment.” ~ Francois de La Rochefoucauld
There are no ordinary moments – each moment is new and unique, so each moment is extraordinary. We can fill that moment with extraordinary thoughts, extraordinary deeds, extraordinary attention. We can choose to think of peace, to recognize beauty, to experience joy. This moment is ours, and we can choose what to do with it.
A Precious Gift
“Let me tell thee, time is a very precious gift of God, so precious that it’s only given to us moment by moment.” ~ Amelia Barr
Have you ever watched a television game show? In most of the games, there is an element of time involved. You’re up against the clock. You have 2 minutes to race through a grocery story, or 30 seconds to come up with the right answer. If you happen to be the person playing that game, you realize just how precious each one of those moments are! You focus your attention, and use the time wisely to win the game. Well, we’re lucky that life is not a game show! We have all the time we need to learn and grow and accomplish what we need to in this life. And we can start anytime, so why not start now? The prizes are all around us, just waiting to be won.
Moments
“Each moment we live is a new and unique moment of the universe, a moment that never was before and never will be again.” ~ Pablo Casals
Being “in the moment” is one of those things that is so easy to say, yet sometimes so hard to do. The moments seem to pass by us so quickly. We find ourselves saying: “Where did the time go?” So it’s important to stay present, and to recognize the value of those moments. In spirit, there is no time or place… but we’re here, in this physical body, on this earth, for a reason. Here there is time, here there are moments – moments we can hold and treasure, moments where we can learn and grow.
Being Wise
“It is easier to be wise for others than for oneself.” ~ La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680)
This is so true! Don’t we all give better advice than we take from ourselves? Because we can look at someone else’s problems objectively, and we are so caught up in our own emotions that it’s hard to step back and look at our own problems with the same wisdom. But it is possible! As we learn and grow and spend more time in silence, we make better decisions, we become wiser.
5 Steps to Wisdom
“The first step in the acquisition of wisdom is silence, the second listening, the third memory, the fourth practice, the fifth teaching others.” ~ Solomen Ibn Gabirol (A.D. 1021? – 1069?)
Hard to argue with that, huh? Silence, meditation, time with nature, self-reflection… all of these things lead us to wisdom. Have we taken that first step? Do we listen? Do we remember? Do we practice? Do we teach others? We all know what we must do, yet how often do we really do it? We get so distracted by our daily activities that we forget how important it is to just sit down and be quiet for a change! Yes, it is important – wisdom is important! Wisdom is necessary to lead the kind of lives that we say we want to lead. The first step is silence.
The Miraculous
“The invariable mark of wisdom is to see the miraculous in the common.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)
Wisdom goes beyond knowledge. We often hear wisdom associated with sages, people who seem to know and understand those things that sometimes have no explanation. Maybe it is recognizing that connection between all things that makes everything miraculous. Wisdom is attainable; all the wisdom of the universe is at hand right now.
Wisdom
“Wise men hear and see As little children do.” ~ Lao-Tzu (6th cent. B.C.)
Children see things with an open mind and an open heart. Wisdom is not being childish, but rather it is being child-like in our curiosity and wonder. It allows possibilities to present themselves in front of us. It is marveling at the grandeur of life.
Only a Path
“Any path is only a path, and there is no affront, to oneself or to others, in dropping it if that is what your heart tells you.” ~ Carlos Castaneda
It’s okay to change directions. People have been reinventing themselves since time began. This is a good thing! When our heart leads us somewhere, it's always for a reason. We need to follow and find out what that reason is. Usually this change brings us closer to who we really are, it allows us to discover our true self, and to be more authentic.
This Above All
“This above all: to thine own self be true.” ~ William Shakespeare
Authentic means genuine, real, true – and when applied to people it means being true to yourself, being your TRUE self, expressing yourself, and nothing less. We sense when people are authentic, just as we can tell when they are imitating, or role playing. When we are authentic, our light shines through, and our path is illuminated. “This above all…” Shakespeare says. It is important to be authentic, important for our well-being and for our spiritual growth.
The Highest Courage
“The highest courage is to dare to appear to be what one is.” ~ John Lancaster Spalding
The key word here is “appear.” So many times it’s just easier to put on a mask, to play a role, to go along with what is expected of us. But the courage is in being authentic, in being true to ourselves and our convictions. Being true to ourselves is one thing – but showing the world who we are is another. Do we dare risk judgment? When we are authentic we answer to ourselves, we know that to appear to be anything other, anything less than “what one is” is heart-breaking.
Everybody Else
“To be nobody-but-yourself – in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else – means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting.” ~ e.e. cummings
When you think about all the advertisements and magazines and commercials that encourage us to buy and be made-over and to do this and that to improve ourselves, it’s a wonder there’s any individuality left at all! We tend to want this actor’s hairstyle and that model’s figure – or that politician’s power and this athlete’s paycheck. All of these “things” are held up to us as the ideal. And yet, we know, deep inside, that what is REAL is so much more than that. Though we’re inundated by the mega-media machine, we must keep reminding ourselves that what we have to hold onto is who we are, and that is invaluable.
Authenticity
“Somehow we learn who we really are and then live with that decision.” ~ Eleanor Roosevelt
Who are you? Or maybe the question is, “who have you decided to be?” We all have roles to play, but our true self is so much greater than any of them. We can identify with the role, or we can choose to see ourselves as the role-player. Our roles come and go and change and grow – and our true self proceeds along through all of it. We can play any role we want to play, do anything we want to do. When we know who we really are, all of this comes easily to us, and we can keep it in perspective.
Experience
“What is it which is bought dearly, offered for nothing, and then most often refused? Experience, old people’s experience.” ~ Isak Dinesen, 1934
We learn from our experiences. And it is our privilege to share those experiences with other people. We’re here to help each other. Whether or not we learn from each other is an individual choice. The gems of experiences that are collected over the years form a treasure chest of wisdom that longs to be distributed. Why not tap into that wealth? And in turn, we’re giving someone the gift of being recognized and valued.
Something Else
“Experience is what you get looking for something else.” ~ Mary Pettibone Poole, 1938
And many years later, John Lennon said: “Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.” This is why “going with the flow” is such an important concept for our spiritual growth. We never know what we are going to encounter along the way! Our experiences help to shape our perceptions; they help us to discover more of who we really are. What are we looking for? It doesn’t matter… what we find, through our experiences, is ourselves.
Direct to the Source
“If it be knowledge or wisdom one is seeking, then one had better go direct to the source. And the source is not the scholar or philosopher, not the master, saint, or teacher, but life itself- direct experience of life.” ~ Henry Miller (1891-1980)
There are all different ways of learning and growing. There are amazing works by brilliant people available to us at any time. And we can gain so much from the words of our fellow man. But where did they get these insights? At some point, the knowledge has to be experienced to be understood. And when it is understood, then it can be expressed. We all know what lessons we have learned from our experiences. And this is a big part of why we’re here – to experience life, to learn and to grow.
Insight
“A moment’s insight is sometimes worth a life’s experience.” ~ Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. (1809-1894)
So where do these insights come from if not from experience? They come from the infinite wisdom of the Universe. We can tap into it at any time through meditation. Everything we need to know is right there for us. Meditation gives us direct experience of the spirit.
Experience
“We learn geology the morning after the earthquake.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)
Aren’t we funny? This is so true! Sometimes it takes something to “shake us up” so that we can learn. And then we do – we learn from our experiences, both positive and negative. All of life is our classroom; every day there are lessons for us. It’s up to us if we want to do our homework and be prepared – and a lot of that is basically keeping up our spiritual practices. Or, we could goof off and take our chances that we won’t get hit with a “pop quiz!” Whatever happens, we will eventually figure it out.
Listen Carefully
“If we could all hear one another’s prayers, God might be relieved of some of his burden.” ~ Ashleigh Brilliant
We are here as angels, emissaries, to do good work, to help each other. We can hear one another’s prayers if we just listen. We are all one in spirit, and we all want the same things – love, respect, acknowledgment, a purpose. Think about all that we can do for each other to provide those very important things. It could be so simple, and so beautiful, and mean so much.
