Looking Out My Back Window #145

Originally posted on Facebook HERE

I’ve never been that great with balance – mentally or physically – that I can remember. Maybe when I was a kid I was better with balancing physically than I am today, but I never won any balance beam competitions. It really came to light when trying some yoga poses yesterday that required balance – I was way off. I have heard from several people in the medical field that this type of thing seems to be the case for most people these days. We’re carrying more stress, and it’s showing up with tension in our physical bodies. When we talk about balance, it’s usually as something we all desire. A work/life balance for example. But, as with most things – there’s a time and a place for balance. Sometimes it pays to be obsessed and focused on a goal. Life might not be balanced during times like that. I do think body and mind work together, though – so seeing just how bad my balance was yesterday physically was an aye opener for me. I need to work on that. And in so doing, it will help calm my mind as well. Our minds, well at least my mind, can get so cluttered with thoughts, ideas, responsibilities, etc… especially right now with so much uncertainty in the World – that peace becomes hard to attain. It’s like our brains are a metal box in space, and we’re shooting thoughts into that box. Some people go one shot at a time, others (like me) are pumping automatic weapons into that box and bullets are flying everywhere ricocheting off the walls as new bullets just keep coming, creating an insane landscape of pandemonium. Makes it very hard to just pick one thing and focus on it. Hard to relax, too. If this is what you’re control center looks like, where is the peace? For me, the peace comes partially through meditation. Calming the mind. The bullet box of thoughts – that’s not God. God is the magnet that will stick all the bullets to the sides of the box and let you walk into the room and decide which ones are and aren’t important to you. Very few of us will ever be able to achieve that level of peace, because if you sit to meditate with a flying bullet box of thoughts whirling around in your head, meditation won’t come easily. You’ll only get a few bullets to stick to the walls if any at all. You feel like you’re not doing it right, like you’re not making any progress… and when things like the pandemic happen, it’s like loading a second weapon so even more thoughts than usual are in there creating havoc. Fear, anxiety, worry… they will manifest themselves physically. Seems like they already are. It does not have to be this way, though. With the limited resources we have now, we can create a healthier lifestyle if we choose to. Personally, I’ve been much more regularly following a daily meditation routine than I have been for many, many years. The slap in the face I got yesterday regarding physical balance I think will lead to much more regular yoga sessions as well. Which will I turn help clear my mind. One of the things I’ve included in every book I’ve published is the line: “God is calm, love is open”. I use “God is calm” often when I start meditating to clear my mind, along with “no thoughts”. “God is calm… no thoughts”… then, when the time feels right – focusing on “Love is open”, which to me is about opening our hearts and letting love flow from us to everything and everyone else in the World. What if we all did that? Every day? If our thoughts affect us physically, this seems like the perfect time for it. Take a look at your Facebook feed. Is that what you’re seeing? People sending love to each other? We will get through this. People are dying. Everyone is scared to some degree. There are ways to hold each other’s hand right now even when we can’t physically touch each other.