September 18-B, 2022

Life is a great place to practice being alive.

It is a proving ground,
a laboratory,
a testing facility,
where we get up every day
and find ways of being who we are,
living true to ourselves,
anyway,
nevertheless,
even so,
no matter what,
for as long as we breathe.

Breathing is the key,
the foundation,
the anchor stone.

Being conscious of our breathing
is being conscious,
and being conscious is the prerequisite
for being grounded,
for being oriented,
for being in accord with,
in tune with,
aligned with,
at one with,
the things that truly matter.

Things like Yin/Yang.
Our essential nature.
Our innate virtues.
Emptiness.
Stillness.
Silence.
Integrity.
Sincerity.
Laughter.
Peace.
Compassion.
Kindness...

The list goes on...

Life is where we come alive
to the things that truly matter,
and live to experience/express them
no matter what.

How we handle/deal with
disappointment,
dismay,
dejection,
depression, 
despair...
is a function 
of how determined we are
to be alive to the wonder of life
in the time and place of our living.

We stand between elation and despondency every day.
We are the balance spot,
the fulcrum,
the still point of the turning world.
Everything depends on our point of view.
Our way of seeing.
Our perspective/attitude/degree of enlightenment/
awareness/realization/illumination/understanding/...
all the time.

"But it's SO HARD!"
"But The Pain! The Pain!"
"But It Won't Let-up Or Go Away!"

So, we can't give up and quit!
We are only a perspective shift away
at all times,
in all places.

It all comes down to how we look at things,
at how we see things,
at how we feel about things,
at what we select to emphasize,
and how we respond to it,
all the time,
everywhere.

We make it all up,
what it means,
how much it matters,
every moment
of every day.

We hold all the cards.
What we say goes.
In terms of our response
to what happened last
and what happens next.
Here and Now.

Are you with me here, now, or not?

Addendum:

True seeing is seeing things as they are
and as they also are,
at the fulcrum
the balance point
the still point,
and living in response to them
so that they might become
what they are capable of being.
Moment to moment.
In each situation as it arises.
Here/Now.

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