As part of my work as a spiritual mentor I lead dream groups which meet every month. At the beginning of each group we have a short period of silence during which I offer a theme on which to focus. In the week of Valentine's Day the focus was on "heart" and the question posed was "What does your passionate heart want?"
After the silence each group member, including myself, had the opportunity to share their internal response to the question. When we do this process I am always suprised at what emerges and this time was no exception. The words "Just Show Up" came to me.
Over the months of writing this blog I have shared my longings to know what direction my life should take as I age and move further from being so busy with my career. I thought that I should be doing something that would contribute in practical ways to the good of all beings. Reading about all the amazing things that people do to help others fascinates me. Just yesterday I was reading about the work of the Nature Conservancy in Mongolia and while walking with a dear friend, she shared a story of a women who had begun an apple growing project in Africa. I know that there are lots and lots of options and yet I have not been able to discern in what direction my life energy longs to go. Sometimes I have wondered if I should choose something at random and just jump in.
The words, "Just Show Up", came with a suprising feeling of relief and a deep sense of relaxation in my body. Maybe I don't have to struggle to know my "path" after all and that who and what I am is good enough in this moment. What a thought.
I believe that the true passion in our hearts reflects the passion of the Divine. God is pure love and if we are made in the image of the Divine then our path would simply be one of love. Is that it then? Do I "Just Show Up" to do the apparently simple but often almost impossibly complicated task of loving.
From years of being a therapist I know that loving has to start with ourselves and for many of us that is a life long challenge. But we also are called to show up everyday with loving behaviors for all beings and that includes even those beings for whom we have not very pleasant thoughts and feelings. And it includes all those times when we don't feel loving to those we do love.
So, that's the plan and however much love I can muster in any given moment will be good enough. I just have to show up and do the best I can. If there are things that I still need to "do" in my life then I can have the faith to know that they will also just show up. Meanwhile I will just "be" loving.
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