The Thankfulness of Giving

The bountiful life that is ever present often eludes us on a daily basis. When do we stop and smell the roses or arise knowing full well that this is a day not promised to anyone; and yet, here we are!  Each breath, taken and released might serve as a stark reminder of just how powerful and fragile the fine line is between here and not.

There is a beloved member of my close knit circle of friends and family who has been challenging the boundaries between here and there.  A massive brain tumor has been threatening him since he was 15 years old.  He staved off the first round and now, 25 years later,with the tumor back, the decision must be made to stand and deliver.  He is a brave and calculating soul, often impatient with the doctors and their lack of providence of things unseen.  Surely, every day is a blessing that he insists is his to have and to hold.

Generally, we humans tend to wait until some tragic events forces us to take into account our many blessings. Rarely is it within our social structure to note without hesitation, the glory that is unfolding everywhere we look.  The frantic to and fro of daily life comes into focus only when we are forced to stop and reflect.
A single moment pregnant with the pause of wonder makes it all clear.  Nature is giving us the seeds of change and the electromagnetic field to make it grow.  So what are we planting?  How will we sow what has been gifted into our domain and where do we spread the harvest?

I recently heard an economist say that we could not as humans afford to pay Nature for all that she bestows upon us.  The costs would be too high even to calculate with any certainty. Happily for us, Nature is as generous as life is everlasting.  The currency of goodwill is very much a natural occurrence for which we surely need to capitalize on.  Giving to our fellow man is part of the fabric of humankind.  The collective consciousness inherent in communities has kept us a float for millions of years on this planet.  Without the cooperative give and take of learning to survive, Homo sapiens (Latin for "wise man") would have perished long ago.   There is a reason we are our brother's keeper.

This high holiday season is filled with the hustle and bustle of friends and family coming together to give thanks.  For those of us with warm homes and a full belly, we can give thanks with a glass of wine and
a hearty laugh for another year of success.  For the many without food, shelter and warm clothing huddled against an icy wind of selfishness sweeping across the land, breathing might well be all they are grateful for. And, for those dedicated to power, profit and privilege, (careful, that glass tower was made in China) there is a wide range of things to be thankful, mainly a populace that is too uninformed and uninspired to act in their own best interest.

Being thankful on any day is the best one can do to pay homage to the Life given.  The man in the hospital insisting on each shallow breath lives one swallow at a time and smiles happily with gratitude.  His family prays fervently for a miracle. That he has lasted this long says so much about the power of life to sustain itself even when all else seems not to. (Ironies abound, everything and everyone on this planet is a miracle of creation and often we can't see the forest for the trees.) At the time of this writing, his great presence is still among us.  I am happy.

Giving to anything is purposeful.  We are given to enormously without asking.  The god of big and small things never adds up the bill and waits for delivery.  Pay it forward is an idea whose time came years ago and is still going strong. The thankfulness of giving to others comes without an expiration date; it is time immemorial!

Happy Thanksgiving, y'all.

With great love and respect
Esprit

Couched in the Remarkable

There are many ways to hit the jackpot.  Normally, I seize every opportunity to test that theory as I go about my created day, moving from one scenario to another.  I share this quirky and anecdotal tale with you as a reminder that unseen elements of this great life can creep up when we least expect it, often with amazing results.

You see, I have been looking for a daybed for months now and knew that the swanky sofa with its $400. price tag at World Market was not the ticket for my budget.  So, I do what I know to do, I focus!!!!!  Every time I went out into the thrift shop world, I looked earnestly for something similar to that beautifully designed imported daybed that I fell in love with.  No go and yet I was never discouraged because I knew my focus worked.  I have had countless examples on and off the field to know that what you hold in your mind with clear intent can materialize when you least expect it.  We all have such stories and love to regal our friends with the whopping wonderment of it all.

Well, the other day there was a reckoning.  I had a feeling something was a foot.  I drove to the Goodwill and there, as I approached the area with furniture, was the EXACT couch that I had drooled over at the World Market.  The exact couch.  I tried to stop the men who were taking it away. I pleaded with them to stop, as I knew that was MY couch.  They laughed and said someone had just purchased it and I was plum out of luck.  I was astonished but not at all dissuaded.  I called out to the woman who just bought the couch to reconsider, so was my complete belief that this was my created moment and manifestation.

They all laughed at me and one worker came to console me as he patted me on the shoulder.  I tried to explain that the universe does not work this way.  That I always get what I focus on and I know that this was my couch.  I paced back and forth trying desperately to understand how this could have happened.  I was stunned and shocked that the exact expensive couch that now was only $65 was out of my grasp and no longer within reach.  All the while, I had not noticed that I was standing in front of a beautiful dark brown leather couch.  A couch so fitted to my living room and perfect for the added space I needed for visitors, I could not have conjure it up if I tried.

 And, yet...there it was just waiting for me to notice it.  Just waiting for me to come to terms with the nature and brilliance of creation.  I sat down in a row of chairs in front of this couch and slowly gaze at it. The sting from losing what I thought was the perfect couch temporarily clouded my generally good eye for a bargain.
As I ruminated over the loss and confusion as to why my pointed intent had not materialized as I had so created it, I began to see the nut brown beauty before me.  It is true that some feline creature had its way with this leather sofa at one time, but its carvings were slight and did not take away from the fact that this might just be what I really needed.  The young man who had consoled me earlier said that he thought when one door closed, another one was bound to open, as he pointed out the couch in front of me.  Clearly, the "powers that be" wanted me to come to terms with the couch in front of me.

I have had various experiences in the "tank" to know that sometimes a chosen path can lead to a dead end.
I took a deep breath and relaxed.  I sat in that chair and re focused.  I gathered myself up and regained my footing.  My goodness, what a lovely couch.  I could see the light at the end of the tunnel.  I had not been abandoned by the universe.  I found my card!!!!!  I laughed at myself, but hey, I used every opportunity in my life to understand what I have been taught by our great teacher. Here I was, obsessing over a sofa and yet, I knew it was the magic that I love.  The hunt for the extraordinary, knowing that I set a course in motion and hit the jack pot at the end of the journey. This is creating the day, everyday.

Good friends came to the rescue.  They helped me lug this couch up the stairs and set it down in my living room. It belonged there, that much was obvious.  And, as it turned out, I could also sleep on it, soft and cozy as a bug in a rug. All bases were covered.  I reflected on the layers of information "couched" in the events of the day.  I seemingly did not know that I would be visited upon by a chair with some much to teach me.  I set out to claim one thing and ended up with what I needed more. Earlier in the day I was confounded by the tangled threads of a missed opportunity. By day's end, I was convinced I had plugged into something greater.  The mind of the soul knows more than we do.  The gathering of events in life weave together a tapestry of experiences with wisdom that shapes who we become.  As silly as this all seemed at the time, I will always remember the power of the remarkable to show itself, even in a simple sofa.

This is the high holiday season...enjoy it with friends and family!

With great love and respect
Esprit