Pursuit of Compassion - In Times Like These
This originally posted Apr 1, 2014
Foo Fighters have provided the soundtrack of my healing path. I have shed many tears pouring my energetic heart out while listening to the lyrics of their music. My daughter bought me Dave Grohl’s book for Christmas and it was a fantastic read full of deep belly laughs and tears of joy as well as shared pain. To this day, I use music to help guide me. Sometimes it’s a deep focus track, other times it’s Foo Fighters on full-blast.
There is an old Buddhist saying that says, get knocked down seven times...get up eight! So true are these words for people (like me) who struggle every day to be the person they so desire to be (again). PTS, depression, anxiety, and a slew of other emotional/physical conditions currently suffocate too many of our family members, friends, co-workers...and that person who is sitting next to you right now! In most cases...it is invisible. In most cases, you may never see it. In most cases...the person affected by these conditions...is fighting the toughest battle of their lives.
These battles are currently being fought using several different tactics. Medication and some form of psychotherapy seem to be the current weapons of choice, but there is a movement afoot. A movement suggesting the use of complementary modalities like yoga, meditation, equine therapy, art therapy...and even music therapy.
Music has played such a big role in my life. So much so...I actually became a broadcast journalist and had my own radio show for years. I love music. It has the ability to tap into that inner core and just "be" the right thing at the right time. In just a few notes of some of your favorite songs, you can be instantly transported to your wedding day, high school, the first time you....(fill in the blank), just about anything. Music can make you smile, laugh, cry, think. It knows no boundaries. For me...Foo Fighters is the band that strikes that special cord. They make me think, laugh, cry...everything.
it's times like these you learn to live again
it's times like these you give and give again
it's times like these you learn to love again
it's times like these time and time again
I am not...nor is anyone defined by these conditions! We are collectively defined by how we pick ourselves up and move forward. We collectively need to understand that we have changed. We are not the person we once were. We need to learn to live again.
"If you want others to be happy...practice compassion. If YOU want to be happy...practice compassion." - Dali Lama
The sooner we can accept the "new you," the sooner we can live our lives. (SANTOSHA) This is not easy. It is a metric-ton easier for me to write about doing it than it is actually doing it. There will be days when all you want to do is sit in your safe spot, (for me that is on the couch in the corner next to the fireplace) and avoid everything you know you should be doing. Things that you know full well would make you feel so much better. But you can't! At this moment...you are not living. If however, you don't learn during these "times" you will find yourself sitting alone for a long time. In order to learn to live again, you must have compassion for YOU! Stop beating yourself up. Look around you...there are plenty of cheerleaders rooting for your success. STOP SABOTAGING YOURSELF! Accept the new you...and simply be the best new you that you can be. Remember...get knocked down seven times...get up eight.
Suzi Landolphi runs the Big Heart Ranch.
I find it very interesting that a disproportional amount of caregivers are in need of care themselves. Hello Pot...My name is Kettle. I find myself in this group too. It is very cathartic to help others. There is a sense of deep healing that happens...not just for the person receiving the care, but for the person providing the care. There is a need to give and give again.
"We discover the value of our own healing when we help others. Indigenous peoples believe we are all related. We are interconnected. Interdependent. This physical, emotional and spiritual connection means when we help others we are giving the same strength, support, caring, compassion, humility and wisdom to ourselves." - Suzi Landolphi
It’s times like these...that we need to learn to love again!
"Before we can generate compassion and love, it is important to have a clear understanding of what we understand compassion and love to be. In simple terms, compassion and love can be defined as positive thoughts and feelings that give rise to such essential things in life as hope, courage, determination, and inner strength. In the Buddhist tradition, compassion and love are seen as two aspects of the same thing: Compassion is the wish for another being to be free from suffering; love is wanting them to have happiness." - The Dalai Lama
Zen Master, Thich Nicht Hahn believes that LOVE is Compassion in action. It is a nurturing relationship that requires nothing in return. Loving yourself and others in this manner will reduce anxiety and sadness. Instead of beating yourself up for everything you perceive to be wrong, or bad in your life, just notice it. No judgment. Just be with it. Meditate, pray, inquire within. Sit with it. Don't react. That is love....that is compassion!
Do you want to share your stories of Compassion? I would love to post them! Send your blog, a few pics and a short bio to: malaforvets@gmail.com
