Come out from behind the clouds!
Shine."
-The Buddha
Though it is unclear exactly how long the Buddha spent sitting in meditation and weaving life lessons, the sayings that have been attributed to him have stood a significant test of time. Most are simple codes of conduct, some transcended his physical world and offered up lessons to those seeking everlasting nirvana in breaking the cycle of endless reincarnation through devotion to the laws of Buddhism and many of his words of wisdom, though spoken and ultimately put to parchment paper centuries ago, are essential today.
"Like the moon,
Come out from behind the clouds!
Shine."
Whatever you do in your life, wherever you are, whether in your office, in a field, in a classroom, in an artist's studio, in your living room or your hut, in small town America or in a cutting edge metropolis, you owe it to yourself to live an illustrious life.
You are the magnificent result of generations that came before you. The shape of your ears, the curve of your hips, the features that grace your face, all could be the spitting image of a great aunt or a mixture of those who populated your family tree. You inherited many distinctive physical traits and hidden within those external gifts lies your true essence, your mental, emotional and spiritual self, the one that is developed through your experiences with outside influences including your immediate family, friends, culture and socioeconomic structure, or lack there of.
The child facing each day in hunger does not share the same advantages of the one with a full belly. Innocence is robbed when a kid is forced to mature too quickly. But somehow, even the young facing impossible odds find determination in spite of their adversity, be it hunger or cruelty.
Once we collectively make it through our childhoods, be they painted by Normal Rockwell or colored in chaos, we owe it to ourselves to find what's beautiful and uplifting in the world and be the beacon that illuminates from within, extending our rays of light to those around us.
There will be hard days. Life will be unfair, spinning into oblivion and fractured, seemingly beyond repair. Life may never be the same after devastation darkens your doorstep, but it will transform into a new kind of reality, one that we can adjust to and rebuild from.
A great many of us will never know extreme poverty or soul crushing abuse. Yes, there are varying degrees of personal pain and individual mountains to climb and conquer and who is to judge another's obstacles unless forced to walk in those precarious footsteps?
The key is to truly savor those good times that decorate our lives and be fully present in those moments. We should laugh and love with the whole of our hearts, never taking for granted the wonder that is the world unfolding and revolving around us.
Write your name in the sky with a big, bold permanent marker. Find joy in the littlest of things. Share your light with wild, sparkling abandon.
And always remember...
"Like the moon,
You are the magnificent result of generations that came before you. The shape of your ears, the curve of your hips, the features that grace your face, all could be the spitting image of a great aunt or a mixture of those who populated your family tree. You inherited many distinctive physical traits and hidden within those external gifts lies your true essence, your mental, emotional and spiritual self, the one that is developed through your experiences with outside influences including your immediate family, friends, culture and socioeconomic structure, or lack there of.
The child facing each day in hunger does not share the same advantages of the one with a full belly. Innocence is robbed when a kid is forced to mature too quickly. But somehow, even the young facing impossible odds find determination in spite of their adversity, be it hunger or cruelty.
Once we collectively make it through our childhoods, be they painted by Normal Rockwell or colored in chaos, we owe it to ourselves to find what's beautiful and uplifting in the world and be the beacon that illuminates from within, extending our rays of light to those around us.
There will be hard days. Life will be unfair, spinning into oblivion and fractured, seemingly beyond repair. Life may never be the same after devastation darkens your doorstep, but it will transform into a new kind of reality, one that we can adjust to and rebuild from.
A great many of us will never know extreme poverty or soul crushing abuse. Yes, there are varying degrees of personal pain and individual mountains to climb and conquer and who is to judge another's obstacles unless forced to walk in those precarious footsteps?
The key is to truly savor those good times that decorate our lives and be fully present in those moments. We should laugh and love with the whole of our hearts, never taking for granted the wonder that is the world unfolding and revolving around us.
Write your name in the sky with a big, bold permanent marker. Find joy in the littlest of things. Share your light with wild, sparkling abandon.
And always remember...
"Like the moon,
Come out from behind the clouds!
Shine."
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