When We’re Run Down

Two‌ ‌natural‌ ‌gas‌ ‌company‌ ‌service‌ ‌personnel,‌ ‌a‌ ‌senior‌ ‌training‌ ‌supervisor‌ ‌and‌ ‌a‌ ‌young‌ ‌trainee,‌ ‌were‌ ‌out‌ ‌checking‌ ‌meters‌ ‌in‌ ‌a‌ ‌suburban‌ ‌neighborhood.‌ ‌They‌ ‌parked‌ ‌their‌ ‌truck‌ ‌at‌ ‌the‌ ‌end‌ ‌of‌ ‌an‌ ‌alley‌ ‌and‌ ‌worked‌ ‌their‌ ‌way‌ ‌to‌ ‌the‌ ‌other‌ ‌end.‌ At‌ ‌the‌ ‌last‌ ‌house,‌ ‌a‌ ‌woman‌ ‌looking‌ ‌out‌ ‌her‌ ‌kitchen‌ ‌window‌ ‌watched‌ ‌the‌ ‌two‌ ‌men‌ ‌as‌ ‌they‌ ‌checked‌ ‌her‌ ‌gas‌ ‌meter.‌ ‌When‌ ‌they‌ ‌finished,‌ ‌the‌ ‌senior‌ ‌supervisor,‌ ‌proud‌ ‌of‌ ‌his‌ ‌physical‌ ‌condition,‌ ‌challenged‌ ‌his‌ ‌younger‌ ‌co-worker‌ ‌to‌ ‌a‌ ‌foot‌ ‌race‌ ‌back‌ ‌to‌ ‌their‌ ‌truck.‌ ‌As‌ ‌they‌ ‌approached‌ ‌the‌ ‌truck,‌ ‌they‌ ‌realized‌ ‌that‌ ‌the‌ ‌woman‌ ‌was‌ ‌huffing‌ ‌and‌ ‌puffing‌ ‌right‌ ‌behind‌ ‌them.‌ ‌They‌ ‌stopped‌ ‌and‌ ‌asked‌ ‌her‌ ‌what‌ ‌was‌ ‌wrong.‌ ‌ Gasping‌ ‌for‌ ‌breath,‌ ‌she‌ ‌replied,‌ ‌“When‌ ‌I‌ ‌saw‌ ‌two‌ ‌gas‌ company ‌men‌ ‌running‌ ‌as‌ ‌hard‌ ‌as‌ ‌you‌ ‌two‌ ‌were,‌ ‌I‌ ‌figured‌ ‌I’d‌ ‌better‌ ‌run,‌ ‌too!”‌ ‌ In‌ ‌another‌ ‌way,‌ ‌we‌ ‌spend‌ ‌a‌ ‌great‌ ‌deal‌ ‌of‌ time‌ ‌running,‌ ‌don’t‌ ‌we?‌ ‌We‌ ‌are‌ ‌running‌ ‌to‌ ‌catch‌ up‌ ‌at‌ ‌work.‌ ‌We‌ ‌are‌ ‌running‌ ‌to‌ ‌keep‌ ‌up‌ ‌at‌ ‌home.‌ ‌We‌ ‌speak‌ ‌of‌ ‌“running”‌ ‌errands.‌ ‌We‌ ‌“rush”‌ ‌off,‌ ‌we‌ ‌stop‌ ‌at‌ ‌the‌ ‌“Quick”‌ ‌mart,‌ ‌we‌ ‌buy‌ ‌“fast”‌ ‌food,‌ ‌we‌ ‌use‌ ‌the‌ ‌“express”‌ ‌lane,‌ ‌and‌ ‌we‌ ‌“hurry”‌ ‌back‌ ‌so‌ ‌we‌ ‌can‌ ‌“race”‌ ‌through‌ ‌our‌ ‌meal.‌ ‌Too‌ ‌often‌ ‌our‌ ‌lives‌ ‌are‌ ‌lived‌ ‌in‌ ‌fast‌ ‌forward.‌ ‌Then we complain that we’re ‌run‌ ‌down. One‌ ‌telecommunications‌ ‌company‌ ‌executive‌ ‌went‌ ‌to‌ ‌see‌ ‌his‌ ‌doctor.‌ ‌She‌ ‌listened‌ ‌to‌ ‌her‌ ‌patient’s‌ ‌heart,‌ ‌shook‌ ‌her‌ ‌head‌ ‌and‌ ‌said,‌ ‌“All‌ ‌I‌ ‌get‌ ‌is‌ ‌a‌ ‌busy‌ ‌signal.”‌ ‌ For many people, these unusual days seem less hurried than before. Because of the COVID-19 scare and subsequent isolation from others, many of us have found that slowing down is what our bodies and souls have craved for years. We find more time to take‌ ‌long ‌walks.‌ ‌We spend‌ ‌more ‌time‌ alone.‌ ‌We discover the re-energizing power of just being ‌still.‌ ‌We actually know what it means to listen‌ deeply ‌to‌ ‌our‌ ‌spirits.‌ ‌We might even discover, as Alan Wolfelt puts it, that we’ve been giving “mindless attention to things that don’t really matter and that we don’t really care about.” Surprisingly,‌ ‌we ‌might even ‌find‌ ‌we ‌have‌ ‌‌more‌ ‌energy‌ ‌for‌ ‌important‌ ‌tasks that we have for too long neglected.‌ When things get back to normal,‌ ‌will we ‌wonder‌ ‌why‌ ‌we ‌ever‌ ‌rushed‌ ‌at‌ ‌all? Today I’ll set my own pace. I’ll still arrive and, better yet, I’ll enjoy the journey.

--Steve Goodier

Image: flickr.com/Ian Britton

There’s Power in Together

The poet Rupert Brooke set out to travel by boat from England to America. Everyone on deck had someone there to see him or her off – everyone except him. Rupert Brooke felt lonely, terribly lonely. Watching the hugging and kissing and good-byes, he wished he had someone to miss him.

The poet saw a youngster and asked his name. “William,” the boy answered.

“William,” he asked, “would you like to earn a few shillings?”

“Sure I would! What do I have to do?”

“Just wave to me as I leave,” the lonely man instructed.

It is said that money can’t buy love, but for six shillings young William waved to Rupert Brooke as the boat pulled out. The poet writes, “Some people smiled and some cried, some waved white handkerchiefs and some waved straw hats. And I? I had William, who waved at me with his red bandana for six shillings and kept me from feeling completely alone.”

We are all lonely at times. But here was a man who was strong enough to admit his loneliness. One psychotherapist says that a necessary first step toward coping with loneliness is for people to feel free simply admitting they are lonely. For once we recognize it, then we can do something about it.

What can we do? Reach out to friends and family. Too many people are lonely because they have been building walls instead of bridges.

We can also find others who may be lonely and help fill their emptiness. The world is full of them. Mother Teresa used to describe loneliness as “the biggest disease” of our time. And the loneliest do not all reside in nursing homes, nor do they all live by themselves.

Finally, we can recognize that, spiritually, we are not alone. This is a time for us to dig deep into our spiritual being.

Lily Tomlin quipped, “We’re all in this alone.” But, of course, that isn’t true. And great joy comes from discovering the power in the word “together.”

--Steve Goodier

Image: flickr.com/ClaraDon

Do You Have an Anchor?

Though I have never seen it, I'm told that the Niagara River has a couple of interesting signs upstream of the famous falls. There is one by the side of the river visible to daredevil boaters that reads, "Do you have an anchor?" Then just downstream is a second sign that says, "Do you know how to use it?"

"Do you have an anchor?" I have found that a solid anchor is indispensable to one who intends to live life fully. To have an anchor is to be centered and well grounded. It is to have a vital spiritual base.

"Do you know how to use it?" For no amount of faith is enough if it is not used.

We all come to what has been described as the "Red Sea place" in our lives. That is the place where there is no way back and no way around. We have to go through.

You know the places I mean ... we find ourselves up against a critical loss, an irreversible setback or a course of action that cannot be changed. There is no way back and no way around. We have to go through.

Even a small ship can venture into deep waters and weather major storms if it has an anchor. But it is likely to be tossed about and even capsized if the anchor is not used.

I like those questions: Do you have an anchor? And...do you know how to use it?

It won’t be long before I come to another “Red Sea place” in my life. I can count on it. But there's one thing I know -- if I use my anchor, I’ll come through all right.

-- Steve Goodier

Image: Freeimage.com/Dragan Sasicv

Two Windows to Truth

You may be familiar with the story. Harry Truman and Tom Dewey faced off in the 1948 US presidential elections. Dewey went to bed convinced, by early election results, that he was the next president of the United States. But when he awoke, he learned that Harry Truman had won. What may not be as well known is that Dewey said to his wife on election day, "Dear, tonight you'll be sleeping with the President of the United States." When they learned that Harry Truman actually won, Mrs. Dewey said to her husband, "Tom, will I be going to Washington or is Mr. Truman coming here?"

It is difficult to predict the future. But one group that has had some success with gazing at the "crystal ball" is the World Future Society. In 1987 the society met in Cambridge, Massachusetts and predicted that the 21st century will include:

1. A transition from an industrial to an information and service society.
2. A terrific increase in the rate of change.
3. Globalizations in every area of business and life.
4. Re-spiritualization of society (reversing the secularization trend of recent centuries), tying knowledge to vision and direction.

Early in the 21st century we have already seen these trends evolving. I find all four fascinating, but the last one particularly intrigues me. A reader sent me this quote from anthropologist Jane Goodall. Goodall, a scientist, says this about spirituality:

"Thinking back over my life, it seems to me that there are different ways of looking out and trying to understand the world around us. There's a very clear scientific window. And it does enable us to understand an awful lot about what's out there. There's another window; it's the window through which the wise men, the holy men, the masters of the different and great religions look as they try to understand the meaning in the world. My own preference is the window of the mystic."

That is a remarkable statement coming from a scientist, but both windows are necessary if we are to understand the world.

Some of us more naturally gravitate toward reason and logic. It is an important window on the world. Raised by a scientist, I understand that and appreciate it. Others more easily understand the world through spiritual eyes. I married one of these people and deeply appreciate her view of reality. The eyes of the soul, looking through a spiritual window, can often see things the mind misses. We shouldn’t discount one method of arriving at truth because we are not as familiar with using it.

I don’t want to under-appreciate the window of science, nor do I want to neglect the window of the mystic. If I spend time gazing out both windows, I’ll see with my mind as well as with my heart. I expect to be amazed.

-- Steve Goodier

Image: freeimage.com/Griszka Niewiadomski

The Glory of Solitude

Image by Jamie Harris

An older lady sat alone on a park bench in The Villages, a Florida adult community. A man about her age walked over and seated himself on the other end of the bench. After a few moments, the woman broke the silence. “Are you a stranger here?” she asked.

He replied, “I lived here years ago.”

“So, where were you all these years?” she wondered aloud.

“In prison.”

“Oh, my! Why were you in prison?”

He fixed her with a steady gaze and quietly said, “I killed my wife.”

“Oh, I see!” the startled woman exclaimed. She let the silence hang between them. After a moment she ventured, “So…you're single...?”

We've all been lonely (but hopefully not that lonely). You may remember the Beatles song “Eleanor Rigby”:

All the lonely people
Where do they all come from?
All the lonely people
Where do they all belong?

Loneliness is usually temporary, but sometimes chronic. It occurs when we are separated from an important relationship. Or sometimes when we never experienced the intimacy we crave to begin with. But loneliness is not at all the same as aloneness.

Can you be alone without being lonely? Theologian Paul Tillich put it this way: "Language... has created the word 'loneliness' to express the pain of being alone. And it has created the word 'solitude' to express the glory of being alone."

Can you be alone without being lonely? Can you spend time by yourself without craving noise or company of other people? Have you discovered the glory of quiet time spent alone, time spent listening to your soul? Solitude brings with it gifts that come from nowhere else.

Writer Ardath Rodale counseled, “Give yourself time to listen to who you are.” That is advice too important to ignore: give yourself time to listen to who you are. Have you noticed that, in English, the word "listen" contains the same letters as the word "silent"? In order to listen deeply, we must be silent. Alone. And in our quiet aloneness, we will hear what can be heard no other way.

That is the glory of solitude. Are you ready to give yourself that gift?

- Steve Goodier

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Who Rekindles Your Spirit?

Image by Sun Designs

An insightful woman, who had lived through numerous dark nights and days, once taught me about getting through difficult times. "I appreciate your outlook on life," I commented to Mrs. Tucker. I was in my twenties and she was fifty years older. In the short time I knew her she became a significant teacher for me. I learned from her remarkable attitude and her unshakeable strength of character, both of which undoubtedly buoyed her through treacherous waters.

"Well, I have been through a lot of tough times," she told me. "In fact, sometimes it was awfully hard for me and my husband. He couldn't always find work. Some days he would come home horribly depressed and say, 'Things are so bad I don't know if I can take it.' And I would say to him, 'Well, you know, things could be worse.' And once he said, 'I've heard that so many times I think I'm gonna die!' I was hurt...but I just hated to see him so depressed. I didn't know what to say. Later he confessed that if I would have wept in despair, he wouldn't have been able to make it. He needed me during those times."

It occurs to me that HOW she responded to her husband's pain was probably not as important as the simple fact that she was there and cared. He knew he could always count on her to be a ray of light in his darkness and a strong hand to lift him when he stumbled or to soothe his hurts. He needed her...and for similar reasons, she needed him, too.

Albert Schweitzer said so well, "Sometimes our light goes out but is blown into flame by another human being. Each of us owes deepest thanks to those who have rekindled this light." During those difficult times they rekindled one another's light.

Who rekindles your light? Who blows your light into flame when it threatens to flicker out? Sometimes this person is a relative, sometimes a teacher, or a pastor, or a close friend. I've learned that if I need the light of my spirit rekindled during a bleak time, there are a few special people who can do it.

I admire some people for their brilliance and I respect others for their strength. But I am indebted to those who can rekindle my spirit. I hope I can be such a person for others.

– Steve Goodier

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How Is It with Your Soul?

Image courtesy of Jmdodge

I meet regularly with a few friends and we ask one another an important question. We ask, “How is it with your soul?” In other words, at the core of your being ... what is going on? We ask the question every time we meet for lunch because we have promised to “watch over one another in love.”
 
The question actually comes from the 18th Century Anglican priest and leader of the Methodist movement, John Wesley. And the hour or two we spend together every month has become one of the most important times of our lives.
 
How is it with your soul? That is a vital question. With other people I may ask, “How are you doing?” “How is everything going?” Or, “What’s happening?” But when I’m with these four men, we try to be as honest as we can and tell each other what is really going on. How is it with your soul? It's a bigger question than, "How are you feeling?" It includes body, mind, spirit, relationships -- everything.
 
I love that question. It reminds me to check in with myself from time to time. And I appreciate that there are a few other people that really want to know.
 
So let me ask you -- how is it with your soul? And how would you answer these related questions?
 
1. Do you take time to FEED your soul?
 
Human beings need nourishment beyond the physical. I'm told that a hummingbird flaps its wings some 50-80 times a second. It must eat constantly to work that hard. It takes tremendous energy simply to live. We, too, must feed our minds and spirits as well as our bodies if we intend to be fully healthy. It may include prayer or meditation or the practice of other spiritual disciplines. Or taking classes and reading uplifting books. Or contacting an old friend. Without constant nourishment, our bodies, minds, spirits and even our relationships will grow weak and listless.
 
2. Do you REST your soul?
 
In our multi-tasking lives, sometimes the best thing we can do is to do nothing. I occasionally like nothing better than sitting quietly, listening to soft music and letting my soul be at peace. Charles Darwin said, "If I had my life to live over again, I would have made a rule to read some poetry and listen to some music at least once a week." What rests your soul?
 
3. How do you CHEER your soul?
 
One of the greatest gifts you have been given is a gift of laughter. And it is a gift we can never use enough. My own experience is that when I feel down, disheartened and discouraged, the cause is not because of too much suffering; it is because of too little joy. Where I find joy, I find life.
 
So, how did you do with those questions? This may be a good time to check in with yourself.  Make sure you ask the big question: how it is with your soul?
 
Then listen carefully. Your soul may have something significant to tell you.
 
-- Steve Goodier


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What Is Your Rope Tied To?

You may have heard of the man who decided to repair the roof of his house. The pitch was steep, and to be safe, he tied a rope around his waist and threw the other end of it over the top of the house. He called his son and asked him to tie it to something secure. The boy fastened the safety rope to the bumper of their car parked in the driveway. It seemed like a good idea at the time.

But a little while later, his wife needed to run a few errands with the automobile. Unaware of the line securing her husband, she started the car and proceeded to drive away. The rope immediately tightened and jerked the man over the roof and into thin air. Now before you become alarmed, let me assure you that this never really happened. But I chuckle at the image of the poor guy sailing over the top of his house like Evel Knievel without a motorcycle.

This story, factual or not, points to a great truth. It is a truth about where we place our security; about those things to which we’ve tied our safety lines. What is your rope tied to?

Think about it. What do you depend on to keep you from disaster? Is your rope tied to a good job? Is it tied to a relationship with somebody you rely on? Is it tied to a company or an organization?

In her wise and sensitive audio Lessons in Living, writer Susan Taylor tells of discovering how unreliable some of our safety lines really are. She tells of lying in bed in the early hours of the morning when an earthquake struck. As her house shook, she tumbled out of bed and managed to stand underneath an arched door-way in her hall, watching in horror as her whole house tumbled down around her. Where her bed had once stood, she later discovered nothing but a pile of rubble. She lost everything – every button, every dish, her automobile, every stitch of clothing.

Susan huddled, scared and crying, in the darkness. In the predawn morning she cried and called out for help.

As exhaustion set in, she thought that maybe she should be listening for rescuers rather than making so much commotion. So she grew still and listened. In the silence around her, the only sound she heard was the beating of her own heart. It occurred to her then that at least she was still alive and, amazingly enough, unhurt. She thought about her situation. In the stillness, fear abandoned her and a feeling of indescribable peace and happiness flooded in, the likes of which she had never before known. It was an experience that was to permanently change her life.

In the deepest part of her being, Susan realized a remarkable truth. She realized she had nothing to fear. Amazingly, whether or not she was ever rescued, whether she even made it out alive, she sensed she had nothing to fear.

For the first time in her life she understood that her true security did not depend on those things in which she had placed her trust. It lay deep within. And also for the first time, she knew what it was to be content in all circumstances. She realized that, in an ultimate sense, whether she had plenty or hardly enough, somehow she would be all right. She just knew it.

She later wrote, "Before the quake I had all the trappings of success, but my life was out of balance. I wasn’t happy because I was clinging to things in my life and always wanting more. My home, my job, my clothes, a relationship – I thought they were my security. It took an earthquake and losing everything I owned for me to discover that my security had been with me all along . . . There’s a power within us that we can depend upon no matter what is happening around us."

She had tied her rope to the wrong things. It took a disaster for her to understand that those things are untrustworthy. So she let go of the rope and discovered peace. She found that her true security was a power within – dependable and sure.

What is your rope tied to? And what would happen if you found the courage to let go of it?

-- Steve Goodier


Image: flickr.com/Doug Wheller
　

Holy Curiosity

Not everyone has a good grip of science. But these children’s scientific musings at least show a healthy dose of creativity.

To explain nuclear reactions, one young scientist said, “When they broke open molecules, the found they were only stuffed with atoms. But when they broke open atoms, they found them stuffed with explosions.”

Concerning astronomy, one child said, “Most books now say our sun is a star. But it still knows how to change back into a sun in the daytime.” And another added, “Some people can tell what time it is by looking at the sun. But I have never been able to make out the numbers.”

“Evaporation gets blamed for a lot of things people forget to put the top on,” said a young physics student.

“H2O is hot water, and CO2 is cold water,” a young chemist said. Another student offered this advice: "To collect fumes of sulfur, hold a deacon over a flame in a test tube." (Ouch.)

“Rain is often known as soft water, oppositely known as hail,” reported a budding meteorologist. Another added, “Thunder is a rich source of loudness.”

These young people are just starting a path of life-long learning, and I applaud their efforts to learn more about the universe. Scientific illiteracy will not serve us well in the 21st Century.

But I wonder, as they learn more and their grasp on science becomes firmer, will they still feel awe when they see a falling star? Even if they are able to describe a rainbow in scientific terms, will they still be amazed at its incomparable beauty? I hope so.

And what about matters of the heart and the spirit? Not everything we experience can be measured. How does one measure love and beauty and faith? I wonder if today’s children will also nurture their hearts as they nurture their minds.

I am not one who feels that a scientific mindset and a spiritual outlook are incompatible. I appreciate Albert Einstein’s thoughts on the merging of the spirit and science. He called scientific curiosity “holy.” The physicist said, “The most beautiful and most profound experience is the sensation of the mystical. It is the sower of all true science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead.”

I love science, and I want to learn as much as I can. But as I do, I still want to wonder and stand rapt in awe before the splendor of life and the universe. This is a place of holy curiosity; a place where spirit and science merge. And it’s a place where my soul can be at rest.

-- Steve Goodier

Image: Flickr.com/RS2Photography

A Humble Spirit

In his own eyes, Mike was the most popular guy around. “A lot of women are gonna be totally miserable when I marry,” he boasted to his date.

“Really?” she said. “And just how many women are you intending to marry?” (Maybe you knew that guy.)

Sometimes a little bit of humble pie goes well with a rich meal.

Actually, what passes for conceit in many people is often just a plea for attention. A poor sense of self may cause one to want to be the prominent star in every constellation. Humility, on the other hand, does not require that one shine less brightly than others, simply that all be given opportunity to shine.

That great 19th Century African American educator Booker T. Washington exemplified the power of a simple and modest spirit. A story is told of a day when Washington, then a professor at Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, happened to pass the mansion of a wealthy woman as he walked to work.

The woman did not recognize him and called out, “Hey you! Come here! I need some wood chopped!” She was a product of her southern post-Civil War culture and simply perceived him as a black man who was there to do her bidding.

Without a word, Dr. Washington peeled off his jacket, picked up the ax and went to work. He not only cut a large pile of wood, he also carried the firewood into the house and arranged it neatly by the fireplace.

He had scarcely left when a servant said to the woman, “I guess you didn’t recognize him, ma’am, but that was Professor Washington!”

Embarrassed and ashamed, the woman hurried over to Tuskegee Institute to apologize. The great educator respectfully replied: “There’s no need to apologize, madam. I’m delighted to do favors for my friends.”

The professor may have taught one of his greatest lessons that day. It was a lesson about astronomy: he taught that every star can shine without out-shining all the others. It was a lesson about peace: he taught how self-interest must often be set aside for the good of the whole. And it was a lesson about spirituality: he taught about the power of a meek and humble spirit in a world where aggression is too-often confused with strength.

These are lessons we are still learning.

-- Steve Goodier

Image by Toppenberg

Health Insurance

I think it was Bob Orben who said, "Have you noticed how health insurance is like a hospital gown: every time you turn around, you find something that isn’t covered?" But health researchers are discovering what many people have known all along -- that getting healthy is about more than medicine and treatment. It also involves a healthy outlook on life.

Various studies have validated the mind/body connection. Cancer is often diagnosed within months of the death of one’s spouse. People who are cynical or angry have been shown to be more prone to heart attacks than those with a more positive outlook. And former Saturday Review editor Norman Cousins demonstrated for years how humor, laughter and hope can aid the healing process.

Not only is a healthy mental outlook necessary, but a healthy spiritual outlook seems to be equally important. Noted psychologist Carl Jung (1865-1961) made a telling observation about the connection between one’s mental health and spiritual outlook. “During the past 30 years, people from all civilized countries of the earth have consulted me,” he said. “Among all my patients in the second half of life -- that is to say, over 35 -- there has not been one whose problem in the last resort was not that of finding a (spiritual) outlook on life. It is safe to say that every one of them fell ill because he had lost that which living religions of every age have given to their followers….”

A healthy person is not one with a certain lifestyle, a certain income or certain favorable circumstances. A healthy person is usually one with certain attitudes. Positive mental attitudes and fruitful spiritual attitudes are part of it. One might say that a robust spiritual outlook is good health insurance.

-- Steve Goodier

Image: flickr.com/Etolane

The Beautiful You

We place great emphasis on a narrow idea of physical beauty.

In an American history discussion group, the professor was trying to explain how, throughout history, the concept of “beauty” changes with time. “For example,” he said, “take the 1921 Miss America. She stood five-foot-one inch tall, weighed 108 pounds and sported a 30-inch bust, a 25-inch waist and 32-inch hips. How do you think she’d do in today’s version of the contest?”

The class fell silent for a moment. Then one student piped up, “Not very well.”

“Why is that?” asked the professor.

“For one thing,” the student pointed out, “she’d be way too old.”

Good point -- she’d be way too old. But beauty is a peculiar thing, for it means something a little different to each of us. And it isn’t always about appearance. Sometimes beauty is a quality that softly shines from inner depths. And you may actually radiate more inner beauty than you realize.

An elderly woman noticed that her granddaughter felt embarrassed by her freckles. “I love your freckles,” she said, kneeling beside the girl and admiring her face.

“Not me,” the child replied.

“Well, when I was a little girl I always wanted freckles,” the grandmother said, tracing her finger across the child’s cheek. “Freckles are beautiful.”

The girl looked up. “Really?”

“Of course,” said her grandmother. “Why just name one thing that’s prettier than freckles.”

The little girl peered into the old woman’s smiling face, aglow with kindness and love. “Wrinkles,” she answered softly.

The physical beauty of youth will fade. But the beauty of a spirit, when nurtured, can grow forever.

-- Steve Goodier

Image by flickr.com/Mexico Rosel

Getting Yourself Grounded

Dante, the Florentine poet of the Middle Ages, knocked at the door of a Franciscan monastery at Lunigiana. He was asked, "What do you want?"

Dante replied, "Peace." I think that maybe he was speaking for a lot of us – especially these days. But how do you find peace?

If you’re not ready for a stay in the monastery, I think one way to find peace is to look within. Get yourself grounded. Let me explain.

One winter morning I drove down the steep mountain roadway leading from my home. I was traveling slowly, actually just inching forward down the icy road. But the car had no traction. It was all I could do to keep it pointed downhill as I slipped and slid on the ice. Then I lost control and gravity took over. The car began a slow motion spin as it slid on its own down to the bottom of the hill. When it finally came to a stop, I was thankfully still on the roadway, but now facing the wrong direction.

My problem was traction. What had separated me from the ground’s surface was just a thin sheet of ice. If I could have only made contact with the ground, I'd have remained in control. I needed to be grounded.

I think life is like that. People who are not grounded lose control of the direction they are heading. It is easy to slip and slide, hoping to grasp onto something real. Or just hoping for a safe landing.

Nancy SantoPietro wrote a book called Feng Shui: Harmony by Design. In it she says, “In your lifetime the most sacred space you will ever need to create is the space within yourself -- the place deep within your soul where you go to find peace and serenity….” She’s talking about being grounded.

Finding the peace we need is really a spiritual issue. Get yourself grounded and you can navigate even the stormiest roads in peace.

-- Steve Goodier


Image: FreeImages/Michael Faes