I’ve been carrying many things with me over the last 46 years of my life, some literal and some figurative. On a walk on a trail today I came to an overlook with various flat rocks that I lay down on to release however many of the figurative things I’d been carrying for however long that aren’t really serving me, namely the things I’ve taken personally that don’t seem to have anything much to do with me at all.
While I imagine I may pick up some other things that also aren’t “mine” as I grow along, the thoughts and feelings that came to mind after reading more of The Book of Joy shortly after the time spent on those rocks reflected what I had read, and that was that everything is ours, yours and mine – be it the words spoken, the actions taken or the time spent – and this brought me back to the two shells in the picture above that I found while sitting on those rocks.
First of all, my sense of wonder at the size of the shell on the left was such that the joy immediately following the wonder was palpable in the squeal of delight that emitted from me (I spotted it right after the bigger one on the right) and smile that spread across my face as I shared them with a friend that was with me.
Again, a reminder that no matter how individual we feel, we live together and with/on this giant ball of amazement called Earth and what we do while we’re here and how we live and in what way we live is going to determine for how long we will get to live here as well – so what’s the way we can love our only home today?
Unload some of the stuff you’re carrying. Ask yourself what’s not serving you OR the planet and GET RID OF IT. If it’s physical stuff then find a new home for it. If it’s emotional stuff held over from some kind of relationship/experience/job/etc. that didn’t go the way you hoped it would and it’s still stewing around in your mind then spend some time really figuring out why you haven’t been able to move on from it, give it to the ground and leave it to grow so something beautiful can come from it.
Be like the snail, have your covering, and when it no longer fits, lovingly let the Earth have it back and receive in return something that can accompany your changed shape.
TimeSpaceOne 