Quote of the day: “There is a saying in Tibetan, ‘Tragedy should be utilized as a source of strength.’
No matter what sort of difficulties, how painful experience is, if we lose our hope, that’s our real disaster.”
― Dalai Lama XIV
Sleeping Buddha Statue textured with Kim Klassen kk_simplicity texture
As much as I want to be out making photographs, taking hikes, searching for spring wildflowers, I am not doing so because of a flare-up of chronic pain. I have learned over the years of dealing with this body of mine that fighting pain, trying to push through it, losing hope, getting frustrated, or becoming passive and depressed about it are not wise.
Still I find myself struggling to surrender—to release my resistance and to embrace what is.
“Always say “yes” to the present moment. What could be more futile, more insane, than to create inner resistance to what already is? what could be more insane than to oppose life itself, which is now and always now? Surrender to what is. Say “yes” to life — and see how life suddenly starts working for you rather than against you.”
― Eckhart Tolle
Learning to surrender to what is, is a lifelong journey.
Surrender is active, not passive.
After 30 years of living with chronic pain, you would think it would be easy. But it isn’t. I get to practice acceptance and surrender again and again.
I’ve gotten better at surrendering and listening to the whisperings of my heart. I fool myself sometimes. For years I lived in my head and barely listened to my body or to my heart. Those many years took a toll on my body.
When I am under stress, old patterns reappear. There is so much I WANT TO DO! That phrase is a dead give-away that I’m not surrendering to what is.
Sometimes I walk a long distance down the path of resisting what is, other times I wake up sooner. Just now as I read these words, I feel sadness wash over me and send loving-kindness and compassion to myself.
Surrendering doesn’t mean not having feelings. I have to remind myself of that often. Feelings come; feelings go, like clouds in the sky or the weather.
Living in Minnesota this spring has been a good reminder of how weather comes, weather goes—last weekend it was cold and a few snowflakes were falling briefly, today we are expecting temperatures above 90 degrees.
The weather is what it is; I cannot change it. My lifelong challenge is to live through all kinds of weather in the world around me and here, within my own body-mind and to surrender to what is.
We all have challenges in our lives. What’s your challenge? What do you need to surrender to?
Ordinary Miracles – Spirals of Sea Shells
Downtown Minneapolis – bikes
More spirals
Other sea shell miracles
Accidental photo with moving camera – color and rhythm
The first photo in this post was taken with my Canon Rebel T2I. The rest were taken with my iPhone.
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