Consciousness
The Pause That Refreshes
Life is such a miracle and yet much of
the time we are missing it. We get caught up in
our underwear over silliness and drama and miss the
magic. We worry about the mundane and meaningless,
all things we can’t take with us. We worry about
things we can’t change, and we tend to forget
that at any moment in a flash of sudden reality life
can change drastically. Only when it does change, do
we catch our breath and feel the depth of what life
really has to offer us. Only then can we feel the importance
of every moment.
It’s easy today to forget what really matters. Life is full of challenge
and uneasiness. But, what was the real reason you came here and who are you…really?
Are you living out that purpose and embracing your gift of this life as if every
day mattered?
Do you stop to appreciate the sunset, the smile on the face of your beloved,
the next breath you take unconsciously without effort? You are still here to
reach out and touch the cheeks of your children, your parents or your partner.
We can become paralyzed if, for even a moment, we think that we, or any of these
people, might be gone, and yet we don’t embrace them or the gifts they
bring to our lives until catastrophe strikes.
You can’t express appreciation for your life unless you are willing to
be totally immersed in it, in your relationships and your purpose. The only way
to appreciate life is to live it, fully. Most of us are still holding back until
the right job, the right partner or the right whatever comes along.
Every choice we make either fills our life with chaos and drama or beauty and
awe. An old mentor of mine once told me, “You get to design your life.
If you see trouble coming through the door, shut it!” We are so powerful
and yet we have not yet grasped the understanding that every decision we make
has a consequence. No punishment. No reward, just a consequence.
The struggles in our life are here to teach us something about who we are and
what we really believe. Each challenge has it’s own set of lessons and
how you respond to life and every circumstance in it is all, and only, about
you. Every feeling that arises…is about you. Every judgment that you hear
inside…is about you. Every ounce of contempt and every ounce of appreciation
is… all about you. Even the resistance is about you.
The key to enlightenment is in the pause before that next thought, word or action
you take. It is in your next thoughtful or conscious response. When you take
a minute, amidst all the rushing to decide how you wish to respond to life, the
energy shifts and you become the master creating life the way you want it to
be. You chose what deeply matters. You choose what feels aligned with your values,
ethics or spirit. You choose. Instead of being cornered by life, you become empowered
by the process. Fascinated with it. You fall in love with life again.
When you are awake, life calls you out. It asks you for authenticity and courage.
With each step you take, the vastness increases and the potential, your potential,
comes alive. As Ranier Maria Rilke says, “ Be patient toward all that is
unresolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves like locked
rooms or books that are written in a foreign tongue. The point is to live everything.
Live the questions now. Perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it,
live your way into the answers. “
Life unfolds before us, and in each moment we face ourselves and we face each
other. Over and over again, life presents us with the next new opportunity. And,
it’s all in that pause. It’s in that precious moment before we speak
or act. It is there that we get to decide whether we will become who we know
we truly are, or who we are being in the moment. Here it comes again. Feel it?
Arizona Together
May 2007
Dr. Dina Evan
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