Something I Learned This Month
This week I came to the conclusion that the Buddha was right. Life is suffering – nothing special. Before I could settle into that thought for long, I experienced that life is joy. The invincibility of love and friendship and gratitude that co-exist along with the trials and tribulations of being alive. Honestly, it can seem like a roller coaster at times, when we look around, but I can say that my direct experience is that when it all seems too much for so many, a helping hand, a word, a poem, a ray of sunshine, a good Doctor out of seemingly nowhere, changes everything.
In a recent article in The Atlantic that resonated with me, Alan Lightman, once again reminded me about the rare and great good fortune of being alive. He is a physicist, writer, and a professor of the practice of the humanities at MIT.
“Being alive at all is the most extraordinary stroke of good luck any of us will ever experience.” Alan Lightman
My favourite parts of his essay is where he pushes back on entitlement and pays close attention to all the help he received from specific people in his life. He took it a step furthur and made a poster of a couple of dozen people who mentored, cared for and generally helped him live his life. His daily focus on the specifics of how they helped and his attention to ordinary days and moments that easily go unnoticed, captivated my attention.
Consequently, as I nudge up to my 80th birthday, I am inspired to create my own poster so that I can not only honour the people in my life that made all the difference but to bring daily awareness to the privilege of still being here, which can lead to the questions of what matters most? And then the action items – am I spending time doing what I say matters most? Even as I write this I am reminded of how lucky we are to have the consciousness to be able to reflect on such things.
Notes
1) Here is a gift link to Alan Lightman’s article The Ordinary Miracle of Existing
2) I received the gift of a beautiful book this week that some of you will like:The Book of Birds, by Robert MacFarlane and illustrated by Jackie Morris. It is a wonderful book about the “Seven Wonders” of the miracles of 49 individual birds. The beauty of the writing and art of this team created a treasure, seven years in the making.
3) An excerpt from the newsletter of James Clear, author of Atomic Habits:
“Learn to love the interruptions. Find the fun in the delay, the humor in the challenge, the pleasure in the daily commute…yes, I prefer hassle-free days too. But you’ll rarely find a situation that is all bad. There are little pockets of joy folded inside the annoyances we face. There is always fun to be had, if you go looking for it…it’s the art of enjoying the imperfect days. It’s the art of making all the moments count.”
4) Sometimes we are fortunate to experience an event so wonderful, full of love, accomplishment and humour that it is life changing. This was my experience and the experience of many this past week at The Celebration of Life (you could say Love) for my friend John Croll. One day I will write about this but for now I will say that it was an honour and a privilege to have known this brilliant,accomplished, humble, funny and loving human being along with his family.
5) Thank you for stopping by. With appreciation for your time and kind words. The photos are of a Wayfaring Tree, on a favourite shortcut that I take everyday. The berries have a broad spectrum of colours and I am drawn to stop and admire them. See you next week. Warmly, Trudy
It truly is a gift to be alive and experience all the little joys in each day.Soul fillers- like right now propped up in my bed with a beautiful bull moon smiling through my windows and I am sure he has a big smile on his face.
I am sending peace and joy to everyone. Lucky me I get to look at the full moon and I can hear my little serenity falls too.Blessed am I.
Thank you dear Jean. What a beautiful image you described.Warm wishes always, Trudy
Another rich post of delights: I had not heard of the Wayfaring tree (love the name) though I have seen the berries; I very much look forward to reading the Lightman article; I am currently reading, slowly and with great pleasure, The Book of Birds, exquisite in both the language and the visuals. So many ordinary miracles Trudy. deep bow of thanks to you.
Hi Janice: I am so happy for you that you are reading this book.I LOVE it and read one bird story first thing in the morning.My morning meditation. Getting to know these birds is a wondrous gift. Thank you and warm wishes always, Trudy
Lovely post Trudy. Lots of love
Thank you dear Sue. I’m sorry not to make it to the west coast this summer. First time. But hopefully next spring. I hope you are enjoying your rooftop garden this summer. Warm wishes coming your way. Trudy