Monday, September 28, 2009

Unwind

I'm wondering if apathy really exists, or if repeating "I don't care" inside your head just reinforces the feeling that you actually do care? Science of the Mind teaches us that once you actually manifest a thought it begins to have motion, but I'm wondering if the form changes depending on the thought around the statement.

I know this sounds cryptic, but I've been having some trouble lately and decided to adopt an "I don't care" attitude about a lot of things. This all occurred due to feeling like I was boxed in to a few different things, and I figured that the "easy way out" might serve me well. It has for the most part, but at some times I get this almost overwhelming feeling of sadness that it about takes my breath away. If it's due to a response of something than I obviously do care, so am I spinning my wheels for nothing?

I'm also wondering (now) if having an "I don't care" attitude is really smart. If the Truth says that you are your beliefs, will it then stand to reason that I will become dead to feelings? That's pretty scary.

Monday, September 14, 2009

Sometimes a Duck

Kim and I went away, just the two of us, this past weekend. It was a chance to renew and refresh, and I wasn't disappointed. I got to do a lot of spiritual reading, a lot of thinking and, best of all, a lot of laughing.

It rained most of the weekend which was fine by us, but on Sunday morning it started to clear up. I got a cup of coffee in the morning and took a walk by the lake to watch the sun come up and to do some meditation. I felt centered pretty quickly, so I decided to walk on the pier and just look at what nature had to say. What follows is what I wrote when I got back to the room:

"I went down to the lake this morning because the sun decided to make an appearance. I was just standing there, looking at the reeds and lily pads, when noticed a duck on the dock. She was your typical Mallard, but what struck me was where she was; right next to one of the Swan Boats.

I watched her preen herself, this plain brown duck, and began wondering if she felt at all shadowed by the impressive Swan behind her. I wondered if she were trying to pretty herself up so she may resemble the Swan, if she was comforted by just being in the presence of the Swan even though she was just an average duck, or if she was jealous of the swan...

Suddenly she spread her wings and flew off over the lake, a perfect image of grace and beauty. In that moment I realized how foolish my thinking had been, both in regards to the duck and to my own situation in life.

The Swan Boat was beautiful, no question. It was clean, majestic, and obviously well cared for. This pretty-to-look-at boat was created with the idea of completing one goal: to provide safe travels around the lake for guests while making a profit for the resort. It manages to do the job daily, and does it repeatedly in order to maximize the return for the resort, all while remaining beautiful.

So, when does the Swan get to spread it's wings? Well, obviously it can't. Here we have a boat made to look like a gorgeous bird, yet it can't do the one thing that makes birds unique. It's stuck making a profit while at the will of someone other than itself- a slave to someone else's vision of perfection.

But, what about the duck? Ordinary as she appeared, she ended up being extraordinary. She is the one who is happy... and free."