We ask ourselves why things are the way they are, why the good suffer and why those we deem as lesser beings seem immune to the chaos. We can’t quite comprehend why the balance of the universe seems tilted one way versus another, why it seems tilted away from us. But if we just stopped long enough to see why some behave the way they do, and how we react to others and the situations that we find ourselves in, we would realize that it is not the world that is skewed towards or away from us, but rather our perception of the world and our view of those in it that are skewed. We apply our desires, fears and prejudices towards others, and we ask why “they” are the way they are without ever looking at ourselves.

No matter our transgressions or the transgressions of others, it is not about blame. It is about righting a ship that has gone off course. It is about finding inner peace and bringing it to the outer world. It is about understanding our pain and releasing it so that we may suffer no longer. Choose to release the pain. Choose to accept love. Choose happiness.

We love you.

We will miss you.

Forever in our hearts there will be a place for you.

We miss your company and yet you have not gone.

We miss your smile and yet you have not stopped smiling.

We miss your guidance and yet you have never stopped guiding.

We miss your warmth and yet your light shines ever brighter.

Go in peace, but never too far away.

Perhaps there is no need to impress, to lead with our best foot forward, because in being ourselves, each step is our best foot forward. By being ourselves, and removing those inhibitions that prevent us from saying what we want to say, and doing what we want to do, we bring honor to all that is. No longer ashamed, or afraid of being who we are, perhaps we can accept all that we each have to give.

There is no imperfection or miscalculation. There are no slights, or offenses. There is no spite, or jealousy. There is just simply understanding. There is understanding that what we each bring to the table is a different face of God, a different face of humanity. And if we are so ashamed of humanity, perhaps it is not humanity that we are ashamed of, but rather our lack of understanding of our place in it.

So let us not blame each other, or even ourselves. Let us simply be. Let us be without fear of reprisal, or judgment. Let us be without indignation and indifference. Let us be without regrets. Let us be.

Don’t worry about the pink sky.
It’s just for today.

Don’t worry about the headache.
It’s just for today.

Don’t worry about the flat tire.
It’s just for today.

Don’t worry about the little things.
It’s just for today.

Enjoy the things that others dismay for it’s just for today.
Enjoy the moment and hide not from the pain.
It’s just for today.

It’s easy to want more,
to change this or that,
but don’t lose out.
It’s just for today.

This is dedicated to my mom who inspired this thought.

Several years ago while meditating I decided to ask God to show me Himself. I asked Him to show me what God is, and to remove any of my preconceived thoughts of God and of existence itself. I asked that any internal and external biases be removed so that I may come to understand.

As I asked this through my heart, I attempted to quiet my mind. What I experienced and what I saw I could not expect. With my eyes opened, I became blind. I could not see anything. Slowly my vision went, and everything became black. There was not even a hint of light. With my ears straining to hear any voice or sound, I could hear nothing. The buzzing of the street lights disappeared and the distant traffic became non-existent to my ears. I had become deaf. Next my racing mind seemed to pause. All thoughts sank away. Not even an image or random thought had crossed my mind. It was quiet, yet at the same time I was all too aware that it was quiet. It was not overwhelming. I was peace.

Not a worry had occupied me. As I became aware of this emptiness, this lack of sensation, I began to see a tunnel in my mind’s eye. At the end or perhaps it was the beginning, I saw what appeared to be a green light, beckoning, almost like a cocoon. With that, I began to hear again and I began to see again. The image had disappeared and thoughts came flooding back.

At the time this occurred, I thought I had understood what happened. I thought I knew what God or perhaps my inner self was trying to tell me. I found solace in this quietness, this communion of sorts. And yet today I found myself seeing more understanding in this experience. I found God to be everything, and at the same time I found God to be nothing. I found God to be peace, inner peace, a choice seemingly made by me, but not entirely by me. Perhaps like a seed in our heart, God is there waiting to be nurtured, waiting to show us our true selves, our true potential.

What or who is God to you?

It is difficult to watch those we love suffer in such a way we can only fathom to understand. No one wants to see their children, siblings or parents in pain. No one wants to watch those they love go through an anguish that can alone be lifted with time and healing.

While we all grieve in our own way we must allow each to express themselves in their way and in their time. Some fold into their shell and hide from prying eyes. Some cry uncontrollably. Some appear as though all emotions have been wiped from their face. Some become angry and lash out. Still others seek comfort and solace in all who would give it. Though we may all grieve in our own way, we need not grieve alone. We need not suffer alone. We need not heal alone.

Though we may each shed a tear, let us shed it together. Let us cry on each other’s shoulders and worry not about the time. Let us accept each other’s loving embrace and remember we are never alone. Let us remember that in happy times, and sad, we are always loved. We are never alone. Let us celebrate together.

It is easy to compare our lives to others. It is easy to extend our wants and desires onto others. But can we allow others to be for the sake of being? Can we allow others to live for the sake of living? Can we allow others to love for the sake of loving? Our fears are our fears and we should not allow them to be another’s. Our desires are our desires and we should not allow them to be another’s. Life is difficult enough when we are trying to discover our own path, and it becomes that much more difficult when we try to forge a path for others.

So when we look on those we love, and even those we just meet, perhaps we can do others more good, by giving them the tools to forge their own path. Perhaps we can be better parents, better partners, better friends and better people by allowing others to find themselves, in their own time, and in their own way.

Do not have pity on others. Do not have pity on yourself. Instead, live this life. Live this moment for all that it is worth. Live it, not to please, or to appease. Live it to be you and do not have pity.

Is there war or is there only struggle? Internal and external struggles, perhaps they are the same. In others we see our shortcomings. We see the things we would like to change in ourselves. But rather than seek a path to understanding ourselves, we fight and we deny. We deny others a choice so that we do not have to face the one choice that sits right in front of us.

Rather than try to ask ourselves why we struggle to accept, or why we have each chosen the path we have selected, it almost seems easier to destroy all the things we do not yet understand and all the things we have chosen to deny. Is there war? Again, the answer seems an obvious one. We see others fighting and destroying each other, and yet this war is right inside each of us. In each of us there is a struggle. It’s not the struggle to fight what is right versus what is wrong. Instead it is the struggle to love ourselves. It is the struggle to accept ourselves in the face of self-denial.

When we are faced with questions that seem obvious, yet seem filled with doubts, we often cater to the responses of our friends. We pander to our inner monk. We bend the will of our heart in hopes of counting all of the nods of approval. To this we must ask ourselves, is it better to be ourselves or is it better to count the pupils that burn a hole through our very soul?

We can try to fill a void with praises and head counts, but until we can face ourselves, and until we can put down that inner struggle, will we be able to see our true selves. We are the prying eyes. We are the countless voices. We are the emptiness. We are the fullness in every breath. We are the inner and we are the outer. We are all there is.

We live our lives expecting a specific set of possible outcomes, but when those outcomes are different, it causes us confusion. It causes us to question our very existence. The person who sought to educate themselves is now faced with having to compete with others of a similar background for a single position. The person, who saved, is now faced with inflation that outpaces one’s savings. The person who was loyal is now faced with the realization that his loyalty meant nothing to the one he sought to impress.

Our lives are filled with similar examples of misplaced trust. When our expectations are not met, we blame others, and we blame ourselves. We become self-destructive when what we really need is to open our hearts and our minds to what truly exists, and to what truly matters.

We spend so much of our time contemplating the what-if moments, the possibilities, but we never ask ourselves, does it matter? Is the purpose of life to earn money? Is the purpose of life to try and learn every possible thing we can? Is the purpose of life to impress others? Perhaps it is none of these things. Perhaps it is simply to express oneself, to take joy in each moment, as it comes, regardless of how it we are perceived. A moment not judged, is a moment lived, and yet here we are judging ourselves each step of the way.