It dawned on me this evening that we never know just how long someone is to be in our lives. In any moment circumstance can take a person away from us. This might be an easily understood concept but it is something else to practice since practice is often lost to the drowning effects of our own egocentricity.
In our sincerest pursuits to seeking and understanding Love & Service our ego is humbled and it feels something like the nurturing warmth a parent might feel for their child. We may not be able to love someone the way we want or even to our fullest potential but if we harness the awareness that our time here is short and everyone has something to offer we can really cherish the experience and tap into that potential which is the Souls longing for Love. This perspective makes life an adventure, encounters are looked at as an exciting opportunity and/or a lesson hidden within because you are reminded "I may never get to see or be with this Life form again." Or, "I don't know how long I'll have with you, but I'll give you my Best."
For myself, this enables a tolerant approach. I don't think it's expected to have our switch turned on 24/7 but we can try and whatever happens it's all in the name of Progress, if we choose.
Respect for Life may mean saving the cockroach that snuck in your House, sharing your Food with a hungry man, it may mean tolerating the sometimes annoying house guest or accepting the cold shoulder from a Love interest. In the end you are working on living in a reality based on Love- for your own happiness, for the happiness of others.
I may not have given enough thought to this in my past, but moving forward I can make the attempt to enjoy and nurture the moments we're together and better accept the times we are not...
Concerning Steve's most recent post, sometimes distancing ones self is an act of Service and sometimes it's just that there is no reciprocity. Where I work, if I am in a strong enough mood and a customer needs some of that energy we will make an exchange but if they are in a better place it's as if I do not exist. In the end, it's all smiles because for a brief moment I got to help you feel that much better. Building blocks to your happiness, to my happiness.
Great thread. . .
