Opening the Gate ( 04 / 07 / 2012 )
Opening the Gate ( 04 / 07 / 2012 )
“ Alter what you long for & you will shift who you are becoming … Let go of what you long for & you will Become who you ’ ve always been .” ~ inspired by Phil Cousineau
So many of us are looking for “ the good life ” — so many of us are searching for the new partner or the new job or the new city or the new self-help technique that will finally make us happy … And this deep yearning presents us with a pretty big problem , because there are only two ends to it : either we fail to realize our desires and remain extremely disappointed with life , or we receive the very things we hope for , only to then realize that they don ’ t make us truly happy at all ( whereupon we go searching once again ).
I ’ ve danced this dance for so many years ; danced to this music that wasn ’ t quite my style ; always hoping for a better song or a better partner to dance with — never satisfied with either — always just a bit off-step & always just a bit out of rhythm … I mistakenly believed it was my environment that was lacking … I thought that I too needed a partner who “ truly loved me ”, a job that fully rewarded my abilities , a community filled with “ my kind of people ” — people who respected me and provided me with regular doses of “ fun & excitement ”.
Then one day , I woke up to quite the liberating Truth ; the Truth that deep & lasting Happiness has nothing at all to do with what I want ; that it has nothing at all to do with what I do or do not possess in my life ; that real Peace & real Joy only come to me when I dedicate my life — moment by moment — to bringing Peace &/ or Joy to others .
“ Do not assume that comfort is a sign of divine favor … The question of what gifts are essential for you revolves around your unique role in the universal conspiracy to perpetrate blessings upon others .” ~ Rob Brezsny
And the best thing about this Truth was — I didn ’ t need to wait for “ better times ” to let it play out . I didn ’ t need to wait to “ get healthy ” or “ have enough money ” or “ make the time ” to Love on the other folks around me .
Indeed , the worse I felt physically , the more potent my Love became when I chose to give it anyway . The less money I had , the more potent my generosity became when I chose to give anyway . And the less spare-time I had to share , the more Meaning-full that time became when I chose to share it anyway .
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