GROWING UP IS HARD TO DO

We were expecting rain last night and didn't get a drop. I could hear low, constant rumbling from the South, for an hour or so, before I went to bed. The noise was very far away, I assume it was thunder. It was supposed to rain most of the day. It doesn't look like it is going to, and they have lowered the forecast to only a 30 to 40% probability. It is somewhat disappointing. We are not desperate for rain, but it is good to get the ground well charged up this time of year. I can't complain because we got about an inch and a quarter over the last three days.

I noticed that somebody was reading some of my blogs from a couple years ago. Somebody from Russia, I believe. I read a few of the blogs, they looked at, and was impressed at how wise and learned I was. Good writing too. But then, I am aware that I struggle with the same things. When do we become sane? Reminds me of the song, “Still crazy after all these years.” I am not really discouraged, just acutely aware that 'growing up' is a life long process. In my 83^rd year it would be nice to say, “I am all grown up!” But I am not. So much we know intellectually, we find ourselves failing emotionally.

It is obvious if we value patience, we need to be patient. If we want peace, we need to be peaceful. Et cetera, et cetera. Yet I find myself being impatient, with somebody else's difficulty, with being patient. Or, getting riled up because they are not peaceful; we often find ourselves matching what we see as irritable in others.

If we really, really value ourselves, and know that we are okay; we don't need to look for validation in those around us. We know nobody can hurt us. When someone throws verbal slings and arrows, we can know it is their problem, and not ours, and it is the only way they can call for love, at this given time. All we need to do is embrace them with love in our minds.

We need to practice with the little stuff. As we go through the day, and we feel somebody has an irritable tone in their voice, we don't have to react to it in kind. We can catch ourselves and say something peaceful or even soothing. {It has to be genuine or it would sound condescending} The principle is, that we can always meet a positive with a negative. We can maintain our center; we can radiate peace, we can radiate love. We don't need to be knocked out of the circle of self-regard we have. We never have to doubt, that we are lovable.

The closer the relationship, the more difficult it is to keep an even keel, when we feel an arrow has been thrust in our heart. If we really, have no doubt of our worthiness, the arrow will not penetrate or it will dissolve. The more we become comfortable with who we are, the less likely we are to react to someone else's drama.

It is possible to make an intent not to react to incoming negatives, except to answer impatience with patience; anger with love; discord with peace; and always remember we are love. One is calling for love, in their pain, the other can give it. We are both love.

I do practice this and I know I have made progress and I have seen the possibility of major discord being prevented; yet 'growing up is hard to do'. That isn't a song, is it? No matter how much progress we make, we sometimes find ourselves backsliding. Sometimes we still get our feelings hurt and act like idiots. When that happens, lets just remind ourselves, we have more to learn and more practice to do. We can only go forward. We know we are loving beings and we know we are going in the direction of realizing it fully, we cannot fail. A loving universe surrounds us. We are One; with each other and the Universe.

Love and Peace, Gregg