
It Is a Necessity for Us to Survive*
I am revealed to myself
Over
And
Over
Again
Through
Other
People.
There is a member
Of the 12 Step meeting
I am newly attending
Named Fred.
Daily
Fred
Teaches me
About myself.
What I see about myself
In this man’s reflection
Is not comfortable.
To me, when he shares,
He goes on.
And on.
To me,
When he shares,
His tangential thoughts
Tangle my mind.
To me,
When he shares,
I work hard,
Too hard
Tracking
His threads.
To me,
When he shares,
I get frustrated
And
Mostly,
Bored.
Bored
And
Annoyed.
Compassion
Doesn’t feel
Accessible
To me.
My boredom
Takes me away.
I know better.
I want to stay with him better.
Yet
I cannot find
Access
To
Compassion.
Or curiosity.
Or interest.
Nada.
Nothing.
Just
Bored
And
Annoyed.
Until today.
Something quite
Horrid happened.
Although we are all muted during the calls,
But for the rotating speakers and the chairperson,
During Fred’s sharing,
(As I was willing myself to
Attempt listening),
Someone
Really
Rudely,
Really
Loudly
Really
Abrasively
Said
For
All to hear:
“What is this guy still talking about?”
It was mean and harsh and inappropriate and wrong.
It violated every tradition of the Fellowship and shade of decency.
The speaker, Fred,
Absolutely heard,
Appeared appropriately
Flummoxed,
Said something quickly,
And abruptly ended
His sharing.
I was horrified.
Horrified.
Something so sacred
Was violated.
In the bigger picture,
It all worked out.
Texts were sent.
Fred
Was
Supported.
The offender,
Not a regular,
Disappeared.
And I learned something.
I saw something.
In the intense echo,
The shock of
This total absence
Of compassion,
I woke up.
I saw Fred’s pain.
I imagined his embarrassment.
I felt his rejection.
Perhaps the total lack of compassion,
The existence of horrifying meanness
Can awaken me.
Perhaps I can look around,
See the absence of compassion
And utilize that
To return to a place
Of caring
Inside of me.
Perhaps I can look to
Others,
Their
Both positive
And
Negative actions,
To
Springboard
Into my own caring.
OH!
I don’t have to do it alone.
OH!
I don’t have to find my way
By myself.
OH!
I don’t have to struggle
To reunite with myself.
OH!
~~~
Dear friends, I’ve spent some time this week collapsing into YouTube. Surrounded by fields of ragweed, a major immune system combatant of mine, I surrendered to Couch and Animals. Yes, I confess, I’ve had a deep dive into the vast, delicious, and ridiculous subculture of animal videos. This one, with some skittish hesitation, I must share.
It’s about the animals, of course. But notice the people. Notice—the amazing, compassionate, beyond-the-call-of-duty-kind-people. And watch the flourishing of life and love and freedom, the direct result of human compassion.
To Marley the Pig and Eli the Cow, to Erika and Joseph the Pig Rescuers, to Jason the Cow Rescuer, to the Florida sanctuary people, Chris and Erin, to all the huge-hearted people who made this possible, love was freed up and lives were saved and happiness was unleashed and possibility echoed in the air.
Compassion was the key.
Here is a link to The Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, an extraordinary refuge of selflessness and love, in Utah. I love these folks and the work they do. Someday I will visit there—this lives on my bucket list.
~~~
Dear Friends,
How do you access your compassion? How available is it these days? What springboard can you utilize to remember, to connect, to return to that place of connection?
Curiosity? Considering and imagining the other’s story? Interest?
Consider. Keep me posted.
No matter what we are given in this moment,
In this day,
In this week,
Before we meet
Again,
May we breathe.
May we relax.
May we
Find
Our
Way
Forward.
With
Grace,
With ease.
All blessings,
Aruni
~~
ONE NEW ANNOUNCEMENT & AN OLD ONE, TOO
- Simple Strategies to Struggle Less
As the externals of our world intensify, what strategies can we use to continue to practice returning to a place of solace and comfort and Self?
Please consider joining me for this weekend live Zoom program. We need and deserve support.
More details will follow.
Save the date—Friday, October 23-Sunday, October 25
- Wisdom Circles
We are not alone. You are not alone. Please consider coming together, to remember what is real and what is important. Create community; connect to yourself, to one another, and to our simple and sustainable teachings.
Our circles are held on Thursdays, @ 2:00 EST.
This week our Circle will be on Thursday, September 17, @ 2:00 EST. The link is below:
http://coacharuni.com/thursdaycircles/
*Title Quote by the Dali Lama