Front to back. Beginning to end. The whole ball of wax.
Oh, my apologies, off thinking on my own … a treacherous place at times 🙂 . It was all about keeping my mind on the day. The whole day. Each and every day.
That is life … and living, at least from this man’s perspective. If not, it’s as if we (I !!) sleepwalk through the landscape and props; skating, evading, and dodging the characters sharing the stage in each moment. I know because I’ve had considerable practice doing just that. Mind you, we can do just that. But … is there more to life than “just that?”
Such is what I desire to have as part of my practice. Indeed, not an easy task, though attainable … to be aware in each moment as best I can … to be purposeful, aware of Spirit and a guidance that wells from within … not just in the here or there, but everywhere.
It was this morning that all this came to mind. As my eyelids stretched to accept the shadows of the pre-dawn day; a thought arose … to pause. It’s intriguing … “someone, somewhere” reminded me once of paying heed to “the first thought” that arises with the sun. It offers a hint …
As he thinks, so he is; as he continues to think, so he remains.
from James Allen’s As a Man Thinketh
(This thought of course links back to Biblical Scripture as well: Proverbs 23:7.)
Perhaps it’s because the “first thought” indicates where our mind … our heart, finds comfort. It can’t be a foreign place or we wouldn’t go there instinctively. Perhaps “the thought” reflects what we deem “our home.” Ya think?
Ah, the wonders of this glorious gift … of a mind.
But remember as well the other edge of the proverbial sword, for sharply it cuts into consciousness if allowed … to reveal the shadows veiled. Whatever that first thought might be, linger and follow … setting aside judgement … to discover the root.
Before going vertical each morning, one can ask: “is there purpose in pausing with the horizon?” Ultimately, the answer to this is our own … but in that moment, I have a sense I am offered a peek into where I “am” … and as well, an invitation to “couple” with Spirit to determine the day; to “see” it … and shape its direction and purpose.
It does demand awareness, enough to pause before rifling one’s feet to the floor. It does demand a moment, although where that moment goes? Who knows?
As to the back / end of the day, well, we’ve touched on that before, but I welcome you to visit our dear friend Daskalos to reflect upon his practice of daily introspection. Indeed, this remains a challenge for me, though I will never succumb to the frustrations associated with being sporadic. I continue on … a moment, a step … one building on another.
So there you have the front, the back … the beginning and the end … but what of the “cream in between” … where all the “good stuff” is, eh?
As has been mentioned numerous times, this is all a process … but if one is able to begin and end their day with such focus as I’m speaking of, I have little doubt the ends will begin merging to the middle.
There’s a fellow I heard of years words tell the truth of what he encountered along his way.
We are responsible. Like it or not, the journey is before each of us … and we will all eventually walk it. A respite, a word, a hand … they are all within reach to offer assistance, but held within each man’s soul is profound courage and strength to fulfill our purpose … in this turning of the wheel. Is it time to get up already?
