We Don’t Need No More Trouble*
I believe I get what I need to grow.
I believe that the people, places, things and situations
That come into my world
Are cosmically carved out
For me,
And
For
My
Healing.
I don’t say any of this to offer us a leap away from life,
A doorway out the feelings.
No, oh no.
To the contrary—
I say it to give us the courage to keep going.
The way out of it
Is
Through it.
Have you heard the term
Spiritual transcendence?
It might sound something like:
I have a feeling.
Om, shanti,
Dear God,
Take it from me.
Take my anger.
Poof. Presto. Done.
I never believed that.
It seemed—too easy.
I’m laughing at myself.
Too easy!
That’s funny.
I do come from the—
It-must-be-hard-to-count-family.
~~~
I heard somebody/somewhere
Say this last week.
At a 12 Step meeting?
Probably.
Anyway, I love this.
I’ve been using this:
Request from your Higher Power
From whatever/whoever/concept/word/energy
You draw up
For solace
And for support.
Request from your That Power
IN ADVANCE,
Ask in advance for
Support for whatever is coming down the line to you:
“Okay, Hi, HP.
I’m going over to Albany for the weekend.
I’m going sleep over, never easy.
I can’t sleep in my own bed, why would I sleep in a strange bed?
I’ll be separate from the illusion of control
That my own world offers me.
Okay, Life,
Thanks, IN ADVANCE
For taking care of everything for me.
Thanks for smoothing the way.”
Sounds kind of superficial…
Kind of silly?
I’ve been practicing this.
And you know what?
I feel less anxious.
Things feel more flowing,
More smoothly.
I wonder why?
Perhaps it’s a release value
For some of my anxiety?
Inviting God in can only be a win/win.
I don’t really know how it works.
But it has been helping me.
So I pass it on to you,
As is my moral responsibility,
That I celebrate and honor.
~~~
As I consider this, I realize—
This is not to request the specifics of what we want.
This is not to manipulate or overlay our desires onto life.
(Good luck with that anyway.)
This is
Remembering and practicing
There is something there
To support us.
There is something there
To guide us.
And we can draw upon that something
At any time.
Imagining
Something
Is clearing
My path,
Something
Is smoothing
The way.
Works for me.
Clearly it beats just
Walking around,
Worrying about
What hasn’t even happened yet,
Right?
~~~
So—folks:
What do you think?
Here’s an invitation:
Create a mindful experiment for yourself.
Try this a few times during this upcoming week.
Notice what happens.
Gather your non-judgmental data.
See if there is anything in this practice that might support you.
~~~
This song. This song. It has captivated me during the week.
First, I must say, I love Playing for Change.
The intention to create music worldwide, to bring together different musicians into one song—
Such a profound mission!
Here is a good one—it made me cry.
I (for one) could have used a few more women in it.
Nevertheless, check it out:
War/No More Trouble
Feathering Bono
~~~
~~~
Dear Friends,
May we be present.
May we be here.
May we ride the waves of our lives,
No matter what we are given.
May all beings benefit from our time together.
Truly,
Aruni
~~~
*We Don’t Need No More Trouble—lyrics from the song, No More Trouble, by Bob Marley, 1973