We are, all of us, our stories. It’s what we do with them that make us who we are.
This past week, I was privileged enough to make two new friends. Each of them told me their stories, stories that sounded like writings from the pages of Shakespeare or Chekov. These were the stories I see on a rare indulgence of an episode of CSI or some such procedural show that leaves me almost giggling in incredulity. Yet, these two lunches, within a day of each other, left me deeply in awe of the resilience of human nature. Or the possible resilience, asI could not help but wonder if either of these had been my own stories, would I have fared nearly as well. Of course, these people have had their bouts of despair and wonderings. Their issues of self worth , finding meaning in their topsy turvy lives and how to just get through the day were clearly with them. However, they both are highly functioning individuals, each with significant others whom they love and care for, and whom love and care for them in return. They both wake up daily and move toward the good- toward good food and toward good health, toward doing good in their careers and making a better place for themselves and others.
The thread of similarity between the stories as far as I could hear was in these two men’s abilities to forgive and move on. Certainly, some of us are born with a stronger constitution toward stress than others, but we cannot refute what we hear and read about the power of forgiveness. Those who keep anger towards others in their minds and hearts often sicken themselves, whereas those who acknowledge the pain that was inflicted upon them but then take steps to release themselves of it seem to find a deeper sense of fulfillment both outwardly and inwardly.
I was never one to buy too much into the notion that we are only given what we can handle, but there must be some truth to the ability we all must have to stretch ourselves beyond what we can imagine, and how the mere process of that stretching can benefit our ever growing personalities. The next time that you begin to throw up your hands in defeat, the next time you might hear yourself say, “I can’t handle this,” or some such phrase, maybe ask yourself… Well, what if I COULD really handle this, just this, as is, the way I am, right now. Who or what would I really have to forgive in order to trust my resiliency? The who might actually be yourself. And the what, might be the outside expectation that something was supposed to go a certain way.
As you move into your weekend, with all the chitta v’ritta, the meanderings of your own mind, maybe embrace them anew. Maybe view them from a distance and in wondrous compassion for all that a human mind can go through, and all the inner power we have yet to free from our minds into our actions.
SCHEDULE FOR THE WEEK OF FEBRUARY 9 AT TEMPLE EMANUEL OF BEVERLY HILLS
MONDAY 8:15-9:15 AM
TUESDAY 9:00-10:00 AM
THURSDAY 8:30-9:30
10:30-12 @U STUIDO 5410 WILSHIRE BLVD.
SUNDAY 9:30-10:30 @ALLIANCE GYM 9000 W. WASHINGTON BLVD., CULVER CITY
in peace,
michelle
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