There are days when I’d be the first to tell you I’m amazing and that my life is the grooviest thing going.
Go on, ask me how things are!
There are other days when I’m pretty sure I could never measure up to whatever impossible standard I hold for myself. It doesn’t help that there is an endless stream of Upworthy, TED talks and other INCREDIBLE! and AMAZING! and INSPIRATIONAL! videos of people daring to dream!, being true to their calling! and most importantly, saving the world!, and generally reducing me to a woefully inadequate shadow of my former self.
I too, have been known to post this kind of uber-inspirational stuff. Like this woman…
[ted id=1896] Whatever. Seriously. How does my morning walk and a few weights come close to that?Or what about this kid, playing the trumpet with his feet?
Really?
You know what? I gave away my piano a couple of years ago…
This kid, against all odds, is getting out there and living his life to the fullest. What, exactly, am I doing?
It is on days like this that I remind myself that comparing one life to any other is a recipe for disaster. Luckily, a phone call from a friend can throw it all back into perspective.
“It’s all about staying true to the fact of simple abundance,” she says. “Pick something to do. Take out the trash. Wash the counter. Be kind to yourself. It’s all within. It’s okay to be happy. You don’t need to save the world today. Your job is to nurture and care for your soul.”
And then I pick up Still Writing by Dani Shapiro and read again, her paragraph on the soul-destroying practise of comparison.
She writes, “When I first learned of Buddhism’s eight vissicitudes-pain and pleasure, gain and loss, praise and blame, fame and disrepute – I was taught that it is unskillful – that gentle Buddhist word for fucked-up – to compare. We will never know what’s coming. We cannot peer around the bend. Envy is human, yes, but also corrosive and powerful. It is our job to pursue our own dharma and covet no one else’s…”
You know what? My life’s pretty good. Go on, ask me…
PS. Have you seen the latest, greatest inspirational video. Everyone loves it!
Love the video.
Chase your dreams at any age.
You’re not too old.
Life is about the journey.
Never, ever give up.
Live life to the full.
Perfect summation Catherine. Should print that and put it up as a poster! Love it…
Love this! So inspirational!
You are right, no regrets;
one kick at the can.
Make it amazing!
We can all live life to the fullest!
Lovely,
Thanks for the reminder!
Hey Laurie, Glad you were inspired, just so long as I didn’t overload you with the awesomeness of those videos 🙂 Every day is a work in progress and I need to unleash a ton of reminders on myself as to how to do it well…glad you’re happy to share in my reminding process.
Firstly, your postscript is hilarious. Also, I love that ‘gentle Buddhist word’ 🙂 Her advice reminds me of a book I read years ago by Thích Nh?t H?nh, http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14572.Peace_Is_Every_Step, and I especially remember the meditation on ‘washing the dishes’. Sometimes I really have to kick my own ass to get it out of my head and doing something useful, necessary, or even – the horror – satisfying and/or fun.
I think my Grama had it right – stay busy, think of others as often as I think of myself (or significantly more often!), look for the beauty in everyday things, and stay in gratitude.
I am still practicing.
p.s. I love that your piano is sitting in my living room.
Your Grama sounds like she was very wise. And like you, I need to get out of my head and just get focused on whatever is the task at hand.
And P.S. I love that my piano is sitting in your living room too! P.P.S. I think ‘unskillful’ is my new favourite code word.