I'm Listening

The desire to overcome suffering, in yourself and others, hammers away a part of your mind.

“You can overcome”

“You can do it”

“You can get there”

While these phrases are encouraging, often true, and useful much of the time, meeting certain weaknesses with statements like these robs you of the deepest opportunity to be with your pain and the pain of others. To be with the fullness of your, and their humanness.

While a simple three-minute connection with suffering can give you back all that’s been robbed.

It doesn’t have to be a permanent approach.

But for a few minutes.

Long enough to say, “I hear that you’re suffering. I’m here with you. Go ahead and share what’s wrong. I’ll listen”

Not beating this part out of its experience.

But honoring the experience itself…by acknowledging it.

The irony: This act helps you ‘overcome’ the tendency to force change upon a part or person who resists change.

Overcoming the desire to want to overcome every thing that doesn’t feel right or look right gives you, and them, a moment of rest.

A moment of care.

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Don’t make the mistake of thinking that overcoming is the goal in every single situation.

Sometimes it creates more resistance, pain, suffering, and alienation.

Be an ear. A listener. A non-overcomer.

When the situation calls for it.

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Taking pictures of birds requires patience, and a lot of missed opportunities.

Being a friend to self and others requires patients, and a lot of missed opportunities.

But in both cases, every missed opportunity is a lesson learned….

…if you look for the lesson, and don’t get destroyed by what you missed.

But, if you are feeling destroyed by a missed opportunity, I hear you, and I’m listening.