... Outside looking in...

“What is the purpose of life? The purpose of life is tomorrow. What is tomorrow? Tomorrow is getting up and knowing who you are, knowing that God is with you, and knowing you can handle yourself with grace.” ~Yogi Bhajan


This quote is posted on my refrigerator. I read it first thing in the morning when I reach for the cream for my coffee, and every time I pass it throughout the day. There is a lot of wisdom in those words. They are simple self-explanatory words, life, faith, and self-control. Perhaps happiness and well-being spring form a wisdom that lies beyond and beneath the fruits of the mind. A wisdom that can only be tapped by self-awareness.

Recently I was asked, “So, what would you do if you suddenly found yourself on the outside looking in and all the while wondering how you got there?” That’s a loaded question that deserves an answer.

Who knows, I may have been on the outside all along. It’s a little fuzzy, but I have come to the realization I might have missed some significant clues of how I got there along the way. It’s a bit of an outcast feeling, like you’re involved, but you can’t make a connection. I suppose it’s the same as being on the inside. On the inside, there were times I couldn’t see what the problem was, circumstances clouded my judgment, wasting time worrying about things that would not, or could not change.

Jealousy, egos, lack of expressing emotions, lashed out words that cannot be retracted, petty conflicts left unresolved, and finding the courage to tell others how you feel without fear of losing the love from others, all these scenarios and many more push someone to the outside. We become what we are as a result of the experiences we have had, and because of what our minds thinks and believes.

There is an old saying that we know a tree by its fruits. An apple tree gives apples. A pear tree gives pears. We cannot expect pears from an apple tree and apples from a pear tree. We may be able to cross breed them and create a new fruit neither pear nor apple. But we cannot get from someone what his or her spirit does not contain.

I have to admit being on the outside looking in, I have a crystal clear view what’s wrong, and at the moment, I’m not certain I want to fix it. We are all free to be and to create as we choose. There is no requirement to change. The choice will always be ours. The question is whether or not we are being served by what we experience. So, for right now, the best thing I can do for myself is to tear out some pages and surrender to renewal.


Peace…