X Marks the Spot - Paperblog

Women in Nature Wallpaper via Jun.C

Day 24: A – Z Challenge

“You are searching the world for treasure, but the real treasure is yourself.” — Rumi

Where you are is where your mission is.

If that weren’t true, you’d be somewhere else.

So, if you are not focused on mining the gold beneath your feet — even if it appears to be a total shit shop of disappointment and darkness — you are missing your opportunity to ‘turn poison into medicine’ as Buddhism encourages us to do.

Everything harbors some sort of gift, lesson, or realization under its wing. Everything.

Yeah, yeah. Easier said than done.

I often have to remind myself of that story about a child who repeatedly asked her parents for a pony.

On the morning of her birthday, she was greeted, not by the gift she wanted, but instead by a big pile of poo in the driveway.

She ran outside, absolutely thrilled, and dove in.

As she dug gleefully through the dung, her gobsmacked parents heard her saying,”There’s got to be a pony in here somewhere!”

And she was right. All signs pointed to a pony.

There has to be a pony.

There is always a pony, if you are willing to look.

So, if X marks the spot where you stand, believe that there is treasure to be found right there. Without doubt.

Start by focusing on what there is to be grateful for, what’s good, what works, what feeds you in the situation in which you find yourself.

Sometimes what’s good is what lights a fire under us to make a change and get out of a situation that we no longer love.

Sometimes what works is standing strong in the only spot on earth where we can contribute our particular brand of wisdom.

Sometimes what feeds us, what consoles us, even in hard times, allows us to feel empathy for the suffering of others.

In order to transform our lives, we must, at times, be scalded raw by circumstances that feel beyond our control.

At times, we’re surrounded by braying asses. At times, they might even teach us something.

Find the gift and unwrap it.

Small Changes Ripple Outward.

A few days ago, I watched a Ted Talk by Shaun Achor. Shaun Achor is a psychologist with a Master’s degree in Divinity from Harvard with course work in Christianity and Buddhism. In his short talk, he discussed five things you can do to become happier.

I found his ideas about creating positive change so encouraging. I hope you do, too:

Find 3 things you are grateful for each day. Write them down.
Journal about your life, your feelings, the things you are working out.
Exercise to increase your joy.
Meditate to create stillness and peace.
Do a random act of kindness each day — such as sending a letter or card to someone you’re thinking of, or dropping a meal off for someone who’s ill or shut in.

So, wherever you are, bloom. Riotously, with a burst of wild color.

Do what you can with what you have right now.

Begin to see the place you are as the place where everything can change, everything can shift, everything can open up.

You know it’s true: the ground beneath your feet is a gold mine.

Start digging.

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