lately, i've been pulling my head out of the sand of my own personal circumstances and looking around again.
because of looming money and health concerns, i sort of forgot about other people. specifically, how much i like to give and do for other people.
i admire the whole idea that, in helping others, you help yourself. not in a rescuing way, mind you. in a solidarity way. standing with people in whatever's happening. gently being with what is, no matter what the reality is.
one of the first things i decided to do was to restart this daily practice i used to do – a standing meditation that's all about filling yourself up with light and then giving of the overflow. i find it's a very healthy way of doing this whole giving thing.
i put out a call on facebook about a week-and-a-half ago to see who might be interested in receiving a little extra light, and do you know what? i got 41 requests! from people in all kinds of binds: living with cancer, preparing for surgery, recovering from surgery, dealing with old injuries, a sick mother, money stress, a dying husband, an ongoing battle with depression, addictions, chronic pain, a bad winter at work, loss of motivation, relationship struggles, feeling lost and wanting to find a good path again. in a different state of mind, it might have been overwhelming...but i found it sort of beautiful. we're united in struggle, as it were. how human we all are!
there are times when i feel utterly hopeless about all the suffering and trials and struggles that people face all around me. but, there's a measure of healing available in giving what i can instead of focusing on my attachments to a certain reality or outcome. simply sending washes of light to everyone on the list each day and letting the universe manage the details.
what a great balance this strikes between expressing care and accepting what is. also, it's amazing how much of a lift i feel in taking myself out of the centre of my concerns and remembering the collective whole. i'm sending out a hell yeah to the power of community!
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