Slow down. That's really the best -- maybe even the only -- spiritual lesson to learn. Take things slow. Sure, smell some flowers -- after all, it's spring! Gaze at the eastern sky as it slowly lightens at sunrise -- and at the western sky as it slowly darkens at sunset. Notice the feel of your feet (shod or otherwise) as you walk.
Sometimes this might mean that you show up late for something. Is that so bad? Or it will mean that you plan better so you can arrive on time without having to rush. That's not so bad either.
Dean Sluyter writes: "The paradox of impatience is that, in trying to hurry toward enjoyment, we hurry past it."
Interestingly, Sluyter's article is titled: “Macbeth Flunks the Marshmallow Test.” Sluyter argues that, while the usual take on MacBeth is that he illustrates the flaw of ambition, his actual flaw is impatience. The play begins with the weird sisters pronouncing that MacBeth "shalt be king hereafter." The problem is that MacBeth then immediately starts thinking of who he needs to whack to become king. If the prophecy is to be believed, he doesn't have to make it come true right away. If he is to be king, there's no need to get himself to the throne ASAP. He can let the course of things unfold gradually. As we know, and MacBeth himself might have guessed, he would have lived longer that way. MacBeth's real tragic flaw is impatience.
So slow down. Wherever you may be destined to end up, there's no need to rush there.
Yours in the faith we share,
Meredith
Join a Journey Group: http://cucwp.org/journey-groups
I.C.Y.M.I. (In Case You Missed It)
The Apr 23 service, with guest speaker, Bruce Pollack-Johnson, "The 8th Principle: A Beacon Toward Beloved Community and Inclusion":
The Apr 16 service, "What Evil Is":
PRACTICE POINTER
From Rick Hanson’s Just One Thing: Befriend Your Body.
Your body IS you – but imagine for a moment that your body were a distinct thing. It has taken care of you through the years, kept you alive, taken you from place to place, given you pleasure. So, in return, how well do you take care of your body? Do you soothe, feed, exercise it and take it to the doctor? Or do you run it down, feed it junk food, or intoxicate it? It's common to push the body hard, ignore its needs until they get intense, and tune out from its signals. And then plop the body into bed at the end of another grinding day.
People can also get mad at the body -- like it's the body's fault if it weighs too much or is getting old. Back to reality, your body is NOT a distinct thing. It’s you. Its needs and pleasures and pains are your needs and pleasures and pains, and its fate is your fate.
So imagine a day treating your body like another good friend. Imagine loving this friend -- your body -- as you wake up and help it out of bed: being gentle with it, staying connected to it, not rushing about. Imagine cherishing your body as you move through the morning -- such as helping it kindly to some water, giving it a nice shower, and serving it healthy and delicious food. Imagine treating your body with love as you do other activities: driving, caring for children, exercising, working with others, doing dishes, brushing your teeth.
For the rest of the guidance on how to befriend your body, see: "Befriend Your Body."
Here it is, your...
MOMENT OF ZEN
#156: Mara
Case
After this exchange about compassion, Badger said, "Well, I got my comeuppance on that one. I have another question -- not really a question, more a confession. It's the one that's been on my mind for some time. I've sat with you all this time and not realized very much at all. I wake up in the night feeling guilty that I haven't made more of an effort. You devote yourself to us, and I feel that I've failed you."
Raven said, "Mara is prodding you."
Badger said, "It hurts."
Raven said, "It's the only way Mara knows."
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