Change*

At times I hear people tell me that “nothing is changing in my life.”  They mean nothing of outside circumstances is changing.  They have no good job or loving partner, or nice place to live.  These are outside stuff.  But then I interrupt their whining with, “You don’t seem to be drinking or doing dope, or so angry, resentful and selfish.”  Then the light goes on for them.  They are changing from the inside.  A spiritual path is not a selfish pursuit to better your outside circumstances, but to change your insides so that you are better for others.  There are people who do have a lot of the outsides covered, good job, partner, home, stuff in the closet and bank, but are really miserable and selfish on the inside.  They lack a spiritual dimension to their life such that they are being changed on the inside.  If I work on my insides, I find that even the outsides begin to look better.  What changed?  Me.