Falling in Love with What Is

Whether we perceive our body as "less than" or "more than" perfect, the reality is, the ego can have a field day with either perception. As you will discover, "perfect" is not a condition; it's a state of mind.

(www.DennisMerrittJones.com)

Observe your thoughts, be aware of the feelings that are running through your body, and be mindful of how you interact with your environment. Be mindful of what is, period; this is perhaps the only thing that you can really do to prepare yourself for the Way.

Some people say, don't give power to your thoughts. Yet, I would ask, how exactly does one do that? The thoughts pop up from the depth of our being and are essentially subconscious in nature. What power do we really have in influencing them? Perhaps you can try this thought experiment just to experience for yourself what I am talking about: don't think of an ice bear over the next sixty seconds, and if for some reason you have to, please count how often the ice bear does pop up in your head. Chances are, the ice bear will cross your mind for the very reason that it's not supposed to happen.

Some people say, don't give power to negative words and counter-productive actions. Certainly, we have more power over what we say and what we do than over what to think. But then, the question is, do we really get any closer to the Way by avoiding the negative stuff? Darkness and light are both part of the way, and we have to be open to both. Sure, often avoiding the negative is the way to go, but then there are the times we have get our hands a little dirty just to get the stuff that is still hiding below up to the surface. There is never any telling what is useful for our spiritual path and what is not. Only we can be judge of that by reading the cues of the Way. Let's be mindful of what is going on, and let's try to put your best foot forward moment by moment.

To go back to the quote from the beginning, don't beat yourself up over feeling inadequate in some areas of your life, just as you simply have to accept when you are especially proud about other accomplishments. Just be mindful of what is; that's all you can do anyway. The promise of the Way is that when you engage with life to the best of your abilities, the feeling of "perfection" will grow on you in many areas of your life. A spiritual path is the ability to fall in love what is; just keep going along the Way.