I experienced an amazing incident last week. It made me think about what is really important and what we can disregard in crucial moments. The incident itself is relevant to me only but the fact that we are occasionally pressed into situations where we just have to reconsider our real priorities, is a blessing to all of us. These events seem to happen “out of the blue”, when we least expect them. I believe it is so because we need to learn lessons. If we were prepared, our logical mind would take over and rule our attitudes; whereas, when we are unaware, we react with intuition. We learn from ourselves in this way and most of the times we realise that we have an amazing ability to cope and to move forward. Our life, our ability to see and feel what is important is a fantastic asset in our personal toolbox for survival and management of our life and lifestyle. In such challenging moments for us we also rediscover who our true friends are. They are the ones who will definitely listen (thank you Claire, Lisa and Gene). They are also the ones who give us clear and honest feedback and stand by us no matter where we are at in life right then. Aren’t we proud for having just so many good people in our lives?!
A little instability can provide insight into our original mechanisms, goals and desires. Let’s look at them and love our life the way it is, not the way we would like to have it potentially, ideally and eventually. Life is now, not tomorrow. Everything counts right now: what we do, what we say, how we live, where we are, who our friends are. The more we are in tune with ourselves today, hic et nunc, the better we are prepared for whatever future lies ahead. It’s about being whole or as complete as possible, being oneself with integrity and self esteem, don’t you think? The more we figure out ourselves, the more we are readily available to others and the world. “Look after yourself first”, I say to so many people. (I got told by a friend last week “look after yourself, for God’s sake” and yes, I needed to hear it; thank you Ric).
If we look at the seven chakras system and focus on the first one, it is called the root or the base and we associate it with survival and linked to our bones. Number one is therefore a symbol of being upright and steady. And it is true: without a backbone, we are not straight. Our world would look so different if we didn’t have that particular bone! So, amazingly, it is a lot about perspective as well. You know those mirrors, the concave and the convex ones? One we love because it makes us thinner, the other one we loathe: we look bigger in it. But, aren’t we the same person?
Some people see us one way; others look at us from a very different angle. We have no valuable reason to suggest they do otherwise. Their feedback to our attitude and behaviour is an invaluable source of self analysis for us!
Today, I want to share two particular STORIES about perspective with you:
THE FARMER AND THE BEAUTIFUL PLOT OF LAND
There was once a farmer who owned a beautiful plot of land at the back of his farmhouse.
It was fenced up, so as to prevent trespassers from entering it.
One fine day, a group of boys decided to climb over the fence and started to play ball on that beautiful plot of land.
This naturally displeased the farmer, as the boys were trampling on his land and damaging it.
The farmer walked out into his backyard to chase the boys away, but no matter how hard he tried, the boys simply ignored him.
And being a rather old man, he realized after awhile that it was pointless for him to continue trying.
The boys just would not go away.
As so it went on and on.
Every day, the boys would climb over the fence and play ball on his beautiful plot of land.
And this anguished the farmer greatly.
One fine afternoon, as the boys were playing on the plot of land, the farmer walked out to meet with them.
He didn’t say anything…he just gave each boy a dollar coin and walked back into his farmhouse.
Naturally, the boys were puzzled.
But nonetheless, they each kept their dollar coins, and continued playing ball.
The next afternoon, as the boys were playing on the plot of land, the farmer again walked out to meet with them.
He didn’t say anything…but this time he gave each of the boys TWO dollar coins and walked back into his farmhouse.
This puzzled the boys even more.
Why is the old farmer giving us money? They wondered.
But nonetheless, they continued play.
This went on for a few more days.
Each day, the boys would eagerly await the farmer to appear from his farmhouse to give them dollar coins.
And true enough, each day while they were playing ball, the farmer would give each of the boys ONE MORE dollar coin than the previous day.
This went on for five consecutive days.
But on the sixth day, the farmer stopped appearing from his farmhouse.
The boys received no dollar coins that day.
Every one of them went home that evening disappointed.
And on the seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth day, the farmer still did not appear.
On the eleventh day onwards, the boys never came back to the beautiful plot of land ever again.
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THE LETTER
Dear Mother and Dad:
Since I left for college I have been remiss in writing and I am sorry for my thoughtlessness in not having written before. I will bring you up-to-date now, but before you read on, please sit down. You are not to read any further unless you are sitting down, okay?
Well, then, I am getting along pretty well now. The skull fracture and the concussion I got when I jumped out the window of my dormitory when it caught on fire shortly after my arrival here is pretty well healed now. I only spent two weeks in the hospital and now I can see almost normally and only get those sick headaches once a day.
Fortunately, the fire in the dormitory, and my jump, was witnessed by an attendant at the gas station near the dorm, and he was the one who called the fire department and the ambulance.
He also visited me in the hospital and since I had nowhere to live because of the burnt-out dormitory, he was kind enough to invite me to share his apartment with him. It’s really a basement room, but it’s kind of cute.
He is a very fine boy and we have fallen deeply in love and are planning to get married. We haven’t got the exact date yet, but it will be before my pregnancy begins to show.
Yes, Mother and Dad, I am pregnant. I know how much you are looking forward to being grandparents and I know you will welcome the baby and give it the same love and devotion and tender care you gave me when I was a child.
The reason for the delay in our marriage is that my boyfriend has a minor infection which prevents us from passing our premarital blood tests and I carelessly caught it from him.
Now that I have brought you up to date, I want to tell you that there was no dormitory fire, I did not have a concussion or skull fracture, I was not in the hospital, I am not pregnant, I am not engaged, I am not infected, and there is no boyfriend.
However, I am getting a "D" in American history, and an "F" in chemistry and I want you to see those marks in their proper perspective.
Your loving daughter,
Sharon
I found this first beautiful PICTURE on the internet and the second one is on a card that I own:
 
In love and light and perspective
Mariana
www.mariana-amar.com
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