Certain presences enter your life awakening you to what comes next. You wouldn’t be prepared for the changing landscape ahead without them. These come in the form of people, events, epiphanies, or simply an instance where a space in the clouds opens up reminding you that blue sky is always present even though sometimes obscured. When gifts like this happen you are given an opportunity to stop, look, listen, feel and of course learn. Recently, I had such an experience that arrived in the form of a powerfully packed life-changing notion.
Our adventure into wisdom began with my daughters and I venturing out to a Tibetan Buddhist retreat in the remote mountains called Mangala Shri Bhuti to hear from a brilliant and quite humorous teacher. Pema Chödrön provides avenues for others to walk a joyful life. We thought in this particular lesson she planned to speak about compassion, however she chose a different path–one of impermanence. Let me explain as simply as possible to get us rolling.
Life changes, so get used to it.
Why? Because, fighting against this notion syphons off your energy which could be used in much more effective ways. Go with the flow–as life is meant to be fluid. There are no real exceptions to this golden rule (except that all rules are subject to change). Ha!
You might be thinking, “What about when bad things happen?” First of all, one thing you can count on with absolute certainty is that what is happening will stop or transform in some way with each passing moment. One of the worst things you could do is needlessly constrict your being by attaching yourself to it. Or, you become fixated to a degree that you can’t move on at all. Literally, you are stuck in one spot. Worse yet, you let the whole experience drag you back and down. How about, let’s not. Instead choose to ride the waves not fight against them. Pema sees these moments as ‘a chance of a lifetime!’ I love this as it speaks to our chance to grow, evolve, get better, stronger, more compassionate.
Given that your state is ever changing why not make it a point to enjoy your current state. It won’t exist again. It is precious. Take it all in. This place we are in right now is the easiest to connect with–serving a greater purpose than wastefully worrying about what happened in the past or might happen in the future. Ruminating on a thought such as these serves you in no way. Let go of them so you can move forward.
As concerns flow through you, wave them goodbye sending them into your wake.
Your relationship with whatever is in front of you becomes your reality. You see Pema shared not only that within change there exists a chance of a lifetime but also within that chance lives limitless potential. When you are in sync with this you are ‘in the zone‘ where your full potential can be realized. Ever changing. Always flowing. Endless fresh starts.
In each moment of change there is a chance to interrupt the route or poor experience to make it better. Fear clouds your ability to see these for the opportunity they embody. Your wellbeing emerges from how you handle these moments. Recognizing that life is forever changing then finding peace in this fluidity allows us to be free, light and open to what comes next.
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