gifts
This morning I was at the gardens as usual, which is where I seem to do my best thinking. I’ve been giving a lot of attention lately to the things I’m bringing into my life, and how I’m bringing them in. This morning I finally made a connection about how things come to us, something I hadn’t really seen before but had puzzled over in various forms for quite a while.
The most recent incarnation of this pondering has been in relation to Zen’s theory of enlightenment, and how if you chase it you will never get it, but it can come to you once you stop pursuing it. I have understood this on some levels, but on others it has made absolutely no sense until today. You see, I used to think that things came to me because I worked hard, or did what I thought I needed to do in order to acquire something - whether it was money, experiences, or even learning. What I learned today is that it is more profound than that.
You see, I’ve learned that everything I have is because I’m open to having it, and I’m in a position to receive it. When I visit the gardens, besides the staff, I wonder how many people realize there are actually hummingbirds there? From my observations, not many. Of the few that might know they are there, how many have photographed them? I would guess that number is much smaller. This question was the tipping point for me: why do I notice and appreciate this when others blithely or blindly stumble through, not seeing them or even having a clue that they might be around? Because I’m open to it, and I’m ready to see it.
It wasn’t something I did necessarily, but the fact that I was open to it and willing to receive it. But it’s not just that one little thing, it’s everything. When we get something, it’s not because we worked for it, it’s because the universe has an infinite grace that has given it to us as a gift. When we work hard for something, we’re not really working for that something, we’re working on opening ourselves and positioning ourselves to receive it when we are ready, because it’s always there for us to accept.
I’ll use an example from martial arts. I’m working towards a black belt, a step in my journey during my study. That belt is always there, waiting for me to be ready to accept it. But I don’t know everything I need to know in order to accept it. I have to pass a test, I have to know and be able to do certain things, and I’m not there yet. But the belt is. I just have to get ready and put myself into a position where I can accept it.
The really cool thing is that there’s a great built in feedback system to all this too. How hard and how long do you have to work for something? That’s an indicator of how far out of position you are to be able to receive whatever it is you want. I find the idea a bit overwhelming when I stop to think about it. That I can think and do things, and the universe is pleased to give me gifts simply by being where I am.
The other really cool thing that comes to mind is this - once you start a particular course of action towards something, you position yourself to receive more and more related to that something as well - because you’re positioning yourself closer and closer to it all the time. This has some profound implications for me that might take a little while to work out, but I’m excited - I haven’t been this excited about anything in a while. Let’s see what happens from here…
September 10th, 2008 at 11:21 am
I am so inspired by all that you communicate in your writings. They remind me how very important the path or the journey of life is, and how critical it is to our spiritual development to challenge ourselves in every facet of our lives. Not to mention the significance of “thought” to our efforts. Ernest Holmes says, “The one who learns to control his thinking, learns how to control his destiny. We are bound by our own thought world. Nothing can save us but ourselves. The individual who will learn how consciously to change his thinking processes can remold his destiny.”