To be more porous…

Back in 2013, we were all in a different place, and we’ve all grown a tad since then.

This November (2018) I’m practising ‘Movember’: Movember is a charity tackling suicide prevention, mental health, and cancer.

Growing a ‘tash? It will be a meager offering I assure you, but perhaps the ‘practise’ is what counts. Silly perhaps yes, but being mindful of our physical presence, our breathe, our growing essence, might be a catalyst to something more real.

{This post is a lot of waffle… – forgive me I know not what I do!}

‘Growth’

There’s nothing quite like daily-life and the juggling of our responsibilities, our fears, and our hopes; the kids, the bills, the community, the salesman, the gifts, the rough-sleepers under the bridge, the rules, yesterday, the rouges, the plastic, the family, tomorrow…  There’s nothing quite like daily-life to illuminate both moments of pride and the many moments that we fail to be what we might wish to be. I fall short so so often.

Back in 2013, relating to #HolyHabits, I wrote that “in recognizing that we fall short, we can stand tall”

The choreographer Agnes de Mille said “To dance is to be out of yourself. Larger, more beautiful, more powerful. This is power, it is glory on earth and it is yours for the taking”

Perhaps in recognizing that we fall short, we can stand larger, more beautiful, in a glorious light.

I wrote before, that growth is an ongoing process. Growth is life. Life can be abundant, chaotic, beautiful and random. You cannot tame a storm, but you can adjust your sails and live through it. Life requires ongoing mindfulness, growth happens. Re-cognition of life creates and promotes further growth. Respect* for life and growth allows us to dance! (*If I might use such an old-fashioned word – courtesy is another.)

Perhaps in recognizing that we fall short, we can stand larger, more beautiful, in a glorious light.

It’s easy to theorise about life the universe and everything. Real practise, cultivation, and discipline might help us create and sense value. Being mindful of our physical presence, our breathe, our growing essence might be a catalyst to something more real. Awareness of our essential position within our environment, our household, and community might be a start. Yes, we will always fall short of perfection, we are essentially raw and wild.

In his book The Journey Home, Simon Parke talks of our ‘essence’ being the truth about ourselves.  Under (or above) the untruthful personality mask told to ourselves, our essence is without culture and time, our essence is possibility… a powerful prowling lion. Simon talks of our unhelpful personality; moulded by distorted cultural needs, expectations and opinions. Our personality is a scavenger living off scraps.

Life is more than our personality. True life is essentially larger, more beautiful, more powerful, more glorious.

Sometimes we come across things in daily life that resonate; vibrate, sparkle, have energy… I love it when I find such treasures.  I recall a respected university art lecturer of mine talked about collecting little treasures and the childlike view of art.  A friend who honestly ministers in the Methodist Church talks of ‘glimpses’, of what she calls God. A similar energy I think.  I recently heard Bono talking about the idea of being “vulnerable, porous and open”.  The word ‘porous’ really struck me.

Perhaps to grow well (live well) we need to be more porous, allowing things in and through. Not grasping, but keeping the hands open. Not clinging but keeping the arms outstretched.

What Antony De Mello said is often true, “wake up”: “…they die in their sleep without ever waking up. They never understand the loveliness and the beauty of this thing that we call human existence. Though everything’s a mess, all is well. …tragically, [many] people never get to see that all is well because they are asleep. They are having a nightmare.”  ‘Waking up’ makes space infinite, makes time infinite, waking up creates growth.

As Ezra Bayda said “What happens when we slow down and pay attention? Everything! Innumerable delights are right at hand.”

I love Simon Parke’s illuminating story; put her down at the river bank… stop carrying her.

As Agnes de Mille said “To dance is to be out of yourself. Larger, more beautiful, more powerful. This is power, it is glory on earth and it is yours for the taking”. (And giving?)

The ‘tash will be a meager offering, but perhaps it’s the activity or practice that counts.