just part of the whole

We are not separate from our environment. I cannot exist without the earth beneath my feet and the sky above my head. Everything is established in perfect relationship. I can not know what 'short' is unless I know 'tall'.

Short and tall are two opposite ends of the same stick. In this case the stick of height. One is not better than the other, just different. They are placed differently. They are different experiences to have. Just like being a doctor is not better than being a lawyer. They are just different professions. We can't compare then. Yet we do. It's like trying to compare a horse with a dog. You just can't. They are just different.

Our minds like to compare, label and identify because then we feel we are something solid. We exist. I am a lawyer and this is good or bad. I am short and this is good or bad. I am this. I am that. We feel good when we define ourselves because we then have a grip on reality. Our minds can control and make heads or tails of this crazy wonderland we call existence. This labeling gives the mind a reason to be. Well, what if we let go of that grip? What if everything wasn't so solid? What if our minds dissolved into our hearts? What if life was more like surfing or what if the terrain was uneven? (Well, the last time I looked it was!) Are we all trying to be perfect squares in a world that is circular and round? Are we separating ourselves from the very existence that we rely on and need otherwise we would fail to exist? Should we look towards nature to find out about our true selves?

Well, if there was no short we would not know of a tall. If there was no hate we would not know of love. (And if there were no lawyers well then the world we would all be a little happier place!)

So how do we make sense of this all? Well, we don't! But for some reason we just can accept that. There is no purpose. The purpose is purposelessness. So just enjoy all that you have and all that you don't. But this is hard for most of us to grasp. See there we go again wanting to grasp and define! So, if you want food for your mind, ultimately, the best way to understand what something is is to know what it is not.

I am not just my job. I am not just what I do. But yet at the same time I am that also. I am not just my name but yet at the same time I am that also. I am not just a wife but at the same time I am that also. I am not just my emotions but yet I am that also. I am not my mind but at the same time I am that also. I am not just the body but at the same time I am that also.

Is it true to say that I am everything and nothing at the same time? I am overjoyed and saddened all at the same time. It is all beautiful and yet ugly all wrapped up in one. The suffering and the joy happening in perfect harmony and balance.

Live the paradox beyond attachment and non-attachment. Surf the truth in this world where the ground is uneven. Enjoy the crooked lines and accept yourself for all that you are and all that you are not. Accept all that is and all that isn't. You are that. You are everything and nothing.