Happiness is experienced in the strangest and most diverse of ways..
one can be a good night's sleep and waking up to waffles in bed
*that's the movie version, mine would probably be 12 hours of sleep and waking up to calorie-free peanut butter and nutella sandwiches*
and the other by some old-fashioned effort.. at whatever is the task that is presented in front of us.. effort.
what a beautiful word... echoing deep reservoirs of strength.
and after such effort when you sit on the bed and assess your thoughts.. there is strange sort of pervasive feeling of well-being, and satisfaction.
A Teacher who claimed to read hands *this really happened* had told me when I was 14 years old that I was looking at a difficult life ahead... *takes a moment to let you wonder at the various strange aspects of this*
*why was he reading my "hands"
*when did this happen
*why did i let him?
*was he being inappropriate?
*why would he predict, presumably, something interpreted as not-good for a 14 year old
(nothing inappropriate, we were all on a boat... *pause*.... *i promise you this really happened*)
and I had thought at the time that I would be following in some rather difficult footsteps of my father's career at the time.. his was a high pressure job, requiring great integrity, effort, will power, intelligence, and a steady mind to commit to... it was long hours with nary recognition *as you can tell I really look up to my dad :)*
Anyway I was aiming, at the time, at a career identical to his... so I thought difficulty came with the territory and I tried at nonchalance when I said "it's okay, nothing good comes without effort" or something garbled along those lines.. but I couldn't stop a tiny sinking feeling even as I said this..
(he had just told a girl before me her life would be "easy" and she would bring "great fortune" wherever she went... she had nodded enthusiastically and said with her birth came great prosperity into her family... *what a great teacher right?*)
so much as I didn't want to compare my presumed future with someone else's it was hard not to feel a trifle nervous about such proclamations of "hard life ahead".. safe to say he didn't turn out to be my favourite teacher .. *shocking, right?*
Anyway, inspite of the slight dip in my tummy... somewhere with Grace I believed and do still believe in the words of Yogananda ji "An easy life is not a Victorious life"
because it's not about consoling oneself, you little cynics you *chortles*, it's just that now I believe we all have a battle that wages inside of us... and it all comes down to this
How do we respond to the challenges life sends us?
Which inner voice do we let win?
and somehow, if you notice, the easier choice is not normally the "right" one long term...
Somehow... what is for our betterment requires a little bit (or a lot) of effort..
and most of that effort, is saying Yes to the voice that wants to do the right thing...
because doing the lazy thing is so much easier.. because procrastination is easier.. because 'giving in' is easier..
so that Battle, that "difficult" or "hard" *come on, it was nearly 15 years ago!*
that "difficult" or "hard" life he predicted... was just me becoming aware of that battle inside..
and knowing, I just need to make the good side of me win.
Every Day with Each Opportunity
*May God Give Me the Strength*
one can be a good night's sleep and waking up to waffles in bed
*that's the movie version, mine would probably be 12 hours of sleep and waking up to calorie-free peanut butter and nutella sandwiches*
and the other by some old-fashioned effort.. at whatever is the task that is presented in front of us.. effort.
what a beautiful word... echoing deep reservoirs of strength.
and after such effort when you sit on the bed and assess your thoughts.. there is strange sort of pervasive feeling of well-being, and satisfaction.
A Teacher who claimed to read hands *this really happened* had told me when I was 14 years old that I was looking at a difficult life ahead... *takes a moment to let you wonder at the various strange aspects of this*
*why was he reading my "hands"
*when did this happen
*why did i let him?
*was he being inappropriate?
*why would he predict, presumably, something interpreted as not-good for a 14 year old
(nothing inappropriate, we were all on a boat... *pause*.... *i promise you this really happened*)
and I had thought at the time that I would be following in some rather difficult footsteps of my father's career at the time.. his was a high pressure job, requiring great integrity, effort, will power, intelligence, and a steady mind to commit to... it was long hours with nary recognition *as you can tell I really look up to my dad :)*
Anyway I was aiming, at the time, at a career identical to his... so I thought difficulty came with the territory and I tried at nonchalance when I said "it's okay, nothing good comes without effort" or something garbled along those lines.. but I couldn't stop a tiny sinking feeling even as I said this..
(he had just told a girl before me her life would be "easy" and she would bring "great fortune" wherever she went... she had nodded enthusiastically and said with her birth came great prosperity into her family... *what a great teacher right?*)
so much as I didn't want to compare my presumed future with someone else's it was hard not to feel a trifle nervous about such proclamations of "hard life ahead".. safe to say he didn't turn out to be my favourite teacher .. *shocking, right?*
Anyway, inspite of the slight dip in my tummy... somewhere with Grace I believed and do still believe in the words of Yogananda ji "An easy life is not a Victorious life"
because it's not about consoling oneself, you little cynics you *chortles*, it's just that now I believe we all have a battle that wages inside of us... and it all comes down to this
How do we respond to the challenges life sends us?
Which inner voice do we let win?
and somehow, if you notice, the easier choice is not normally the "right" one long term...
Somehow... what is for our betterment requires a little bit (or a lot) of effort..
and most of that effort, is saying Yes to the voice that wants to do the right thing...
because doing the lazy thing is so much easier.. because procrastination is easier.. because 'giving in' is easier..
so that Battle, that "difficult" or "hard" *come on, it was nearly 15 years ago!*
that "difficult" or "hard" life he predicted... was just me becoming aware of that battle inside..
and knowing, I just need to make the good side of me win.
Every Day with Each Opportunity
*May God Give Me the Strength*
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