April 29, 2017
We’re here to dance;
Our entire lives we’re programmed to believe that we are “heading somewhere” – that there is a finite destination our life path is leading to, a final station where we disembark. Well, there is, and it’s called death. But, before we get to that place, we have to explore, discover, play, stumble, love, hurt, heal and grow. We have to both bask in sunlight and walk through the storms that bring our lives to life.
We have to participate in a delicate dance between moments of happiness and joy and moments of grief and sorrow. This dance is your life and, “Your life” is the destination. Every min, every hour, every day, is a new station.
Think about the most pleasurable aspects of life, e,g;
– Experiencing the warmth of human touch
– The calm that comes when we sit next to the ocean and listen to the rhythm of the waves hit the shore.
– Listening to your favourite song and feeling your entire energy vibration rise.
– Inhaling the scents of lavender or eucalyptus as you melt into a hot bath.
– Eating ice cream and experiencing the taste and texture on your lips and tongue.
– Feeling free on the dance floor as you spin about.
– The emotions of being in love that inspire us to be our best selves.
It’s not the anticipation of the ending of these experiences that makes them magical, it’s each touch, each step, each taste, every smell, every musical note and each crashing wave that bring us joy, it’s the moment itself that brings your life “to life”.
Even the horrible things we have to overcome bring growth into our lives. The loss of a spouse or a child. The loss of a home or a job, battling an addiction, enduring intense physical pain. Surviving these experiences make us stronger, give us hope for a brighter tomorrow and make us grateful for the things that are right in our lives. And yes, we do anticipate the end of this type of pain. However you may have heard people say, “I’m different because this happened.” Or “I’m now more grateful for everything in my life because this happened.” Or “That was painful but I grew so much because of it.”
When my children were little I waited for them to talk, then waited for them to walk, waited for them to be out of diapers, waited till they were in school and then high school, waited for them to get jobs, to become successful. I missed so much by anticipating the end of one phase and the beginning of the next, always feeling like we were supposed to be heading towards somewhere, when really the “somewhere” was that moment.
If I could turn back the hands of time, I would marvel at every moment with my boys, I’d listen to their giggles, I’d answer every one of their silly beautiful questions like;
“Mommy can you make chocolate cookies from dirt”
“Mommy are Chinese people only allowed to eat Chinese food?” And, Mommy if I eat Chinese food will I be Chinese?”
“Mommy if I pee in the garden will peas grow there?”
“Mommy can we have our bath in the washing machine?”
“Mommy can we put makeup on He-man”
“Mommy can you dance like big bird?”
If I could turn back the hands of time, I’d stop whatever I was doing and answer all of their questions and yes, I’d be late for my chamber meeting so I could dance like big bird and put makeup on He-man. It went by so fast, “It” was their life and “it” was the purpose of my life.
So embrace and be grateful for all that is wonderful and good in your life. And, give thanks for the lessons that come through grief, heartache and regret. That place you think your heading towards, that final station, don’t worry you’ll get to there soon enough.
This gift of life is not about an end point or a destination. It’s about every moment of every day, that’s the gift – Life IS the purpose of our lives. So, let’s enjoy the dance.
TO’K 🌹❤️
Toni O’Keeffe ~ The Whimsey Angel
The Whimsey Angel 