Today's Meditation:

It's nice that Judy offers a limited amount of advice.  Sometimes we get overwhelmed with all the things that other people suggest that we do, and it can be hard to distinguish between advice that is helpful and advice that can be useless to us.  That said, I also like the advice that she gives, for these are three acts that can be very useful to us as human beings on this planet of ours.

I've grown convinced over the last few years that awareness is one of the keys to everything.  After all, we can't deal with anything in our lives, good or bad, unless we're aware of the different elements of our lives and how they're going.  How can I decide that I want to gain or lose weight if I'm not aware of what is a healthy weight for me, and what I weigh now?  I never could have dealt with many of the issues I grew up with as an Adult Child of and Alcoholic if I hadn't become aware of the fact that many of my thoughts and behaviors had been instilled in me very early, and that I was causing much of my own misery because of those very behaviors.

Listening carefully is one of the most important things that we can do in life, for in the listening we find awareness.  Too often we want to talk, to share our opinions or our wisdom or our thoughts.  But it's in the listening that we learn-- it's in the hearing that we grow.

Finally, yell for help?  Absolutely.  The myth of independence-- as opposed to interdependence-- is firmly rooted in today's human being in many cultures, and sometimes we forget that there are many wonderful people out there who would most certainly help us out if we were to ask them.  If we don't ask, they won't experience the positive feelings that come from helping others, and we won't get the benefit of getting aid in dealing with something that we probably shouldn't have been dealing with alone anyway.

Questions to consider:

What kinds of things can we do to become more aware?  Of what things should we become more aware?

How often do you purposely take the time to listen?

Why is it so difficult for us to ask for help, even if we need it badly?

For further thought:

I shall open my eyes and ears.  Once every day I shall simply stare at a tree, a flower, a cloud, or a person.  I shall not then be concerned at all to ask what they are but simply be glad that they are.  I shall joyfully allow them their "divine, magical, and ecstatic" existence.

Clyde S. Kilby

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