Fast Or Far

 As the saying goes, “If you want to go fast, go alone.  If you want to go far, go with others.  I have found this to be true in several areas of my life.  I can run all out by myself, but if I want to improve my stamina and distance running pace, I need to train with others.  I make a commitment to show up not only for me but for the “team.”  I always feel better when I go to church and there are others at mass, equally interested as I am.  Church is community.  It needs plural.  Recovery is the same way.  No one recovers their sanity from addiction alone.  You may stop the addition alone, for a time, but inevitably you don’t go far in recovery.  You need the group, the meetings, the contact on a regular basis.  

Priority

 Sometimes when people stop their active addiction to something, drugs, and alcohol, for instance, they have more energy and time for their job, and so they skip recovery time and practice, become a dry drunk and work like a maniac. It never works. Job work only works if you are actively working the program of recovery.  To not drink does not make you sober.  It just keeps you insane while getting paid for it.  

More And Less

 If you have found your purpose in life, not your job or hobby, then you find that you want to do more and more.  That is why people who have a deep spiritual life seem to be very giving.  They appear always to be working at their purpose, but there are times you do not see, and even while they are working, they practice a deep spiritual connection.  Prayer and meditation is both private and going on even while we work for some people.  I am careful not to make my job my entire focus.  

One Swing At A TIme

Still on golf, each day is like one swing at a time.  I am never sure of the results, because each day is different, like each golf shot situation.  When I wake up, I do not expect today to be like yesterday.  Today has its own character.  My spiritual life is to practice the inner journey so that I can respond to whatever arises each day in my life.  You go out to play golf and expect to shoot in the low 80s, and you barely break 100.  What happened?  If you are not prepared for the unexpected, your golf equipment might be at the bottom of a lake or in a trash bin.  You are that irate.  The life of golf cannot be lived on your terms.  Stuff happens.  Enjoy what you can and accept what you cannot seem to control that day.  

The Moment

 Golf is a wonderful sport or endeavor for staying in the moment.  You will hit the ball as much as a 100 times or more in the course of the 18 holes.  Each swing, you think only about that swing.  Golf keeps you in the moment.  Before you attempt to swing at the ball you may be thinking ahead or behind.  But once you address that ball, put your club behind the ball, you are focused on that shot alone.  And sometimes you end up playing with people with whom you would not ordinarily mix.  And it is a game full of pauses, so you get to talk to people outside your normal social range.  I am of service to other golfers by not playing since I am so bad I would ruin their rhythm.  

Active Rest

 In meditation, rest requires effort.  Why?  Because continual surrender is difficult and this is what we are trying to do in meditation.  We are not problem solving or having an active chat with God.  It is work to let go and just be.  If we are trying to get something, some result, out of our own devising or effort, then we are not going into deep meditation.  Wanting to feel good, or get “results” is not deep meditation.  When God wants us to know something, that will be God’s doing.  Wait. Be still.  

Change Who?

 I remember when my prayers were to change God and not to change me.  The god of that understanding was to do my bidding if I just said the right prayers or enough prayers.  Whenever something went my selfish and fear-based way, I thought I had God figured out.  Never occurred to me that the Spiritual Power was being merciful and patient with my shallowness.  Eventually, slowly but surely life goes downhill, so slowly it goes somewhat unnoticed.  But when the tipping point is reached I survived because I realized that now my prayers were to change me.  God was just fine.  Thy will, not mine be done.