I see a rhythm and pattern reflected repeatedly across the universe.
Expansion followed by contraction.
I notice this rhythm in my lungs as I breathe and my heart as it pumps.
My whole life, from conception to death, reflects this cadence as first, I expand physically, mentally, emotionally, actively, intellectually, influentially, and resourcefully.
Constant growth until I hit the point when these attributes begin to retract into old age, leaving space for new expansions, like that of wisdom and support, for example.
This repeating theme is observed throughout the natural world, from the passing seasons to the ebb and flow of tides.
Furthermore, scientists tell us that the whole universe has been expanding since the Big Bang, and some hypothesise that a time will come when the process will reverse.
Increase and decrease.
Rise and fall.
Arrival and departure.
Birth and death.
The heartbeat of the created world and a law unto all things.
What stands outside this rhythm is the unmanifested, that from where creation springs and in which it has its existence, the divine and infinite awareness that many call God.
Human Beings bridge the divide with our awareness and our created form.
With a foot in both camps, my being will not know expansion or contraction directly, but my human ‘form’ will.
In form, nothing is permanent.
Everything will cease at some point.
Day to day, it will :
- Break.
- Leave.
- Be taken.
- Evolve.
- Die.
- Cease.
- Move
- End
- Or be replaced
In my micro-universe, this means:
- My health.
- My relationships
- A TV series.
- Lunch.
- My career.
- Home.
- Any of my possessions.
- My status and influence.
- My Good (or bad) looks.
- Any thing made, built, bought, found, seen, touched, or heard.
- A coping mechanism.
- Even the ground upon which I walk.
- The list is endless (If you pardon the oxymoron).
Things move on and leave a space for the next heartbeat or breath.
Letting go of a Life ingredient and becoming acclimatised to a revised world without it can be an unpopular and painful activity.
However, given the relentless schedule of departures, it is also an essential skill to harness.
Sometimes, when the departed thing is slight, letting go is easy, and I do it without noticing, like when my supermarket no longer sells my preferred brand, or I outgrow my favourite shirt.
But if the thing is big and considered essential, like a loved one, home, health, or finances, I can find myself in deep trouble.
Not easy!
I need to move one step at a time, slowly, towards the acceptance that it has gone and I will be okay without it.
Grieving is the positive process of coping with loss and working through the related mental and emotional pain.
The lost thing is in the past, and grief helps me catch back up with the present.
Grief is different every time and unique to each individual.
There are no rules.
The only constant is that I must pass through it and embrace the realignment offered therein to remain alive to Life’s rhythm.
As an ex-addict, I have had to tread this path concerning losing a best friend (alcohol) and a Life ingredient I saw as pivotal in managing my universe.
Removing my drugs has seen me move from a hopeless, recalcitrant, terrified mourner in pain to a man gratefully celebrating and engaged joyfully in being alive.
Life’s higglety-pigglety path often hides the new joy from view briefly in a dip or over the horizon, but it’s there and incoming!
Have faith and be of good courage.
Stepping forward is often a supreme act of faith.
Faith in the cycle of Life, in the universe to provide for what it has created.
Faith in God, who abides with and loves us.
Faith in ourselves because we are fearfully and wonderfully made, unfathomable beings capable of anything.
Sometimes, stepping forward is driven by the fearful realisation that I am clinging to a death and, in so doing, hastening my own premature demise.
Whatever helps me keep my feet (and heart) moving forward during those moments of desperate crisis is good, and I am most grateful.
TOP TIPS:
Hold everything lightly so it doesn’t need to be ripped painfully from my grasp.
Be aware that what I have is here for a season and mine that time.
Surrender to and accept what is what it is.
Be brave and hold fast.
Be comforted that the rhythm of Life means there’s more to come.
I’m in good hands.
Day to day, it will :
- Break.
- Leave.
- Be taken.
- Evolve.
- Die.
- Cease.
- Move
- End
- Or be replaced
In my micro-universe, this means:
- My health.
- My relationships
- A TV series.
- Lunch.
- My career.
- Home.
- Any of my possessions.
- My status and influence.
- My Good (or bad) looks.
- Any thing made, built, bought, found, seen, touched, or heard.
- A coping mechanism.
- Even the ground upon which I walk.
- The list is endless (If you pardon the oxymoron).
Things move on and leave a space for the next heartbeat or breath.
Letting go of a Life ingredient and becoming acclimatised to a revised world without it can be an unpopular and painful activity.
However, given the relentless schedule of departures, it is also an essential skill to harness.
Sometimes, when the departed thing is slight, letting go is easy, and I do it without noticing, like when my supermarket no longer sells my preferred brand, or I outgrow my favourite shirt.
But if the thing is big and considered essential, like a loved one, home, health, or finances, I can find myself in deep trouble.
Not easy!
I need to move one step at a time, slowly, towards the acceptance that it has gone and I will be okay without it.
Grieving is the positive process of coping with loss and working through the related mental and emotional pain.
The lost thing is in the past, and grief helps me catch back up with the present.
Grief is different every time and unique to each individual.
There are no rules.
The only constant is that I must pass through it and embrace the realignment offered therein to remain alive to Life’s rhythm.
As an ex-addict, I have had to tread this path concerning losing a best friend (alcohol) and a Life ingredient I saw as pivotal in managing my universe.
Removing my drugs has seen me move from a hopeless, recalcitrant, terrified mourner in pain to a man gratefully celebrating and engaged joyfully in being alive.
Life’s higglety-pigglety path often hides the new joy from view briefly in a dip or over the horizon, but it’s there and incoming!
Have faith and be of good courage.
Stepping forward is often a supreme act of faith.
Faith in the cycle of Life, in the universe to provide for what it has created.
Faith in God, who abides with and loves us.
Faith in ourselves because we are fearfully and wonderfully made, unfathomable beings capable of anything.
Sometimes, stepping forward is driven by the fearful realisation that I am clinging to a death and, in so doing, hastening my own premature demise.
Whatever helps me keep my feet (and heart) moving forward during those moments of desperate crisis is good, and I am most grateful.
TOP TIPS:
Hold everything lightly so it doesn’t need to be ripped painfully from my grasp.
Be aware that what I have is here for a season and mine that time.
Surrender to and accept what is what it is.
Be brave and hold fast.
Be comforted that the rhythm of Life means there’s more to come.
I’m in good hands.
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