Volume 4, Issue 18
Being and Becoming
After all the rains, nature is happy that the sun has come up brightly. The talkative birds fill the ears as one awakens. Sunlight glinting off the river helps keep the eyes closed. The birds, squirrels and chipmunks gather outside waiting for Lalita to come out of the side deck door with food. Then when all humans are safely locked back in the house they waste no time in racing each other for the pans of seed. The first to get to the hanging birdfeeder is a large woodpecker who has learned how to arrange his body so that he can get the seed inside the tiny holes designed for much smaller birds.
Soon a squirrel is at a pan, darting occasionally at the five swirling jumping chipmunks intoxicated with the morning and trying to get a bite in edgewise. Finally one of the chipmunks steps out of character and, perhaps accidentally, bounds onto the squirrel and away again. The squirrel seems to need to think about this and retreats for his tree home to contemplate the unusual event.
All this fun stuff going on yet I realize I have woken up fixated once again on all the things I have to get done. The thing about knowing one’s Mission is that it’s great but it soon becomes an attachment like anything else. This is true even if the Mission is well-intended and unselfish. If looked at as an enormous challenge slope that one will not be happy leaving unfinished at the end of one’s life, it is obviously as much of an addiction as heroin.
Priorities. Our first priority in being here as the Universe looking through yet another unique peephole perspective, is to enjoy it. Let’s call that BEING.
Hourglass Nebula courtesy of www.NASA.gov
Second priority is to learn and evolve to higher levels of consciousness and states of being by watching the Universe’s clues. Let’s call that BECOMING.
Where in that construct does Mission fit? The Mission is to do one’s passion work, which is the chariot you ride in the BECOMING part of existence.
I realized that I was sacrificing the BEING part to the BECOMING part by my attitude of “no time for fun, better get down to work”.
Realizing all this did not automatically set me right again. What did was a sudden tiny delighted voice I heard that sounded like a woodland fairy spirit might, saying “Come and play with me!”
That brought my mood around. Then my eye was suddenly drawn to the little black wrought iron café table and chairs on the upper side deck, sparkling in a spotlight of sunlight through the trees. I went up with my laptop to sit in that pool of light and write this post.
As I went up the stairs, laptop in hand, I was in the mood to play. Writing this, I’m just enjoying myself. I hope you are too.
Best to all,
Bill
Follow my regular blog contribution at Jack Myers Media Network: "In Terms of ROI." It is in the free section of the website at Bill Harvey at MediaBizBloggers.com.
P.S. My wife Lalita and I will be attending "Footsteps of Mandela," an original musical production celebrating world peace, freedom and human dignity. We will be accompanied by our good friend Stan Satlin, the songwriter of several inspiring songs about the spirit of America that will be performed there. Footsteps of Mandela will be performed at Riverside Church in New York City on July 18 at 7 PM to benefit the Nelson Mandela Foundation.
