Guilt can crop up in our lives at just about every turn.
You might feel guilty because you’ve strayed from your diet.
You may feel guilty because you forgot the birthday of a dear friend.
You could feel guilty because you spoke harshly to your spouse.
You may feel guilty because you aren’t as kind, generous, reliable, eco-friendly, productive, religious or spiritual…. as you think you should be.
It seems that we humans are hard-wired with a propensity to feel guilty.
I never thought that I’d aspire to be a frog, but, that’s exactly what I’m aiming for right now in my life.
I listened to a wonderful online presentation recently about the importance of meditation, mindfulness and contemplation. During it, Daron Larson, the Buddhist teacher who presented this information, talked about the benefits of becoming amphibious.
Hearing this rich analogy inspired me to consider the many advantages to being able to adapt to the changeable and widely diverse situations that arise in life.
As you probably already know, put very simply, to be amphibious is to be able to survive in both the water and on land.
September 11th used to be a date of happy anticipation for me. It is the day before my wedding anniversary, so it is something I– previously– associated only with eagerness for the celebrating to come on the 12th.
After 2001, however, this all changed.
Yes, I still look forward to and do celebrate my wedding anniversary with my husband on September 12th each year. But, the day before is a more confusing experience now. For me, there is a sadness and a bit of anxiousness mixed in with my excitement to commemorate the love that my husband and I have shared over the years.
A muscle-bound man or woman
To endure extreme challenges or difficulties
A tensed and ready-for-anything state
Pushing against, forcing movement
All of these phrases, to me, signify strength. Whether it’s the weight-lifter who hefts and holds overhead more than 200 lbs. or the CEO who manages to motivate thousands of employees, there is something tough and hard about strength.
This proves problematic when I encourage myself to be strong in my own life.
I feel my muscles tense up, I notice my perceptions and opinions become more rigid and fixed. I tend to resist whatever is going on– within me or outside of me– that is not preferable.
