The Purpose of Life

A long time ago, while doing a pediatric elective at John's Hopkins in Baltimore, I met a fellow student there - and he asked me what the meaning of life was - no idea what brought that on, though I am kinda weird with interest in such things or maybe he was  thinking I'd have some smart answer, being from Germany and educated differently? He said, mentioning something about Kant, that everyone has to give their life its own meaning. I did not know what the meaning of life was, except, the meaning of my life was: to learn to Love. ..... and I meant REALLY love - not any of the things commonly called "LOVE". I was 28 when I realized this.  It  has not changed - only that a few years later, there were a few  sub-goal and the realization that awakening is major part of that path - the Learning to Love.

Today I would say that your ability to love relates directly to the degree of your awakeness - and presence - and there are many levels of awakening. I almost don't count some peak experiences triggered by outside forces. Real transformation happens from the inside, through realizations and ahas. It is sometimes funny to realize who you were...looking back ....wow.

We all come from somewhere as humans, and presumably our soul-human combination is as it is because of an affinity - consciousness manifested....and soul flaws highlighted for those not yet perfected.

Someone slick and socially groomed may give the impression of being way more evolved - when in fact - that may have absolutely nothing to do with any degree of awareness, awakeness or Love.
Living in some kind of lala land never having faced one's own dark side - can't truly Love from that place.

But I digress - so back to the purpose of life. I asked someone at a party once what the purpose of her life was. The answer was clear and straight: To be a mother.  And she was a mother and she was good at it - her 4 kids grown up ...but she was still being a mother. Loving to her would always mean something different than what I was looking for - and yet, when she dies - she would die knowing she had fulfilled her life's purpose....or so I think.

I find learning to love - very challening, especially when it comes to loving humans. I mean, let's face it: babies are amazing, children are too and I have loved being with them since I was 12 years old - at which point I started wondering what LOVE means. I was willing to give my arm if need be for my 9 month old cousin - and I concluded: This must mean  that I loved her - which I did - only today, I am not that selfless, at least I hope I never get tested like that - and then there are those who have hurt you in ways you can't imagine, and then there is that Hoʻoponopono prayer, and Byron Katie and a bunch of other paths that pretty much say something like this: it is all a reflection of you. YOU are always responsible.

This is - challenging and requires an expansion of the YOU that is talked about - the SELF that is meant.

And pretty soon we are into the mystery section of any path - trying to get to the real "reality".

I always loved nature, and animals - but until 2010, I had not realized the truth of this:

Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.
– Anatole France

One of the hardest parts is recognizing and tolerating the extreme limitation one finds oneself in in this body-mind - especially when really wounded very early on.  We all do the best we can with what we got - and even if not - to realize the beyond imagination limitlessness while grounded in this body - is like - mind boggling. Eventually sayings of saints and sages - make sense - or rather: are recognized as truth because you KNOW.

So then there is that loving again, and the heart and consciousness and electromagnetic fields and vibration and energy...and this precious human incarnation when you want to walk gently everywhere....alas .... you know what I mean.

So back to loving - and listening to your heart - and the silent pull to what you love .... and what is that, for me today, this week, in these years?

And there is a thing on that list that is incompatible with what I am committed to presently.

This is a dilemma - I need a year off - or at least a couple of months. At the same time, it is: you don't just take off from your motherhood either.

There can be a huge difference between realization and manifestation when the alchemical transformation had not yet completed. While purpose and temperament differ - mean-ness, vindictiveness, blaming, selfishness - you get the drift  - are parts to accept and embrace, but they are not a higher state of beingness...of true presence, attention and love.

All this rambling to get to; what is it that I - this particular bodymindsoul - truly love, love to do and to be...and how much am I doing and being that where I am in my life? And is there any part - that I should be doing but that cannot be accomplished here? And what is it  that I could already be doing where I am but that I am not? And how much is what I love - related to the purpose of my life?

So there.

One thing that is coming to the forefront is this: taking care of self  - and with love.

Here is another take on the meaning of life - the Secret of Life whatever it may be - I can't tell

The Secret is there .....

Managing time - prevent burn-out ?- on priorities, life's purpose and love and passion

a question came in via e-mail today and it was suggested that what my fingers typed might be good for a blog. so here it goes. (the question is at the end of the post, with permission).

here are some points, not necessarily in that order, which might be
helpful.

if you want to continue "working" in any kind of efficient or
responsible way which also sustains you:

SELF-CARE
you need to stay healthy enough to work - to that end, you need to do
what is necessary. how much time and what one needs to do: this
greatly varies between people as well as a phase in life you might be
in. consider your physical as well as emotional body.


NECESSITY
we here do get a lot done, and part of it is that we are doing it for
others and in a group. both help.


LETTING GO
and - i know for myself at least, i have had to drop things/projects
that were dear to me and it was and is painful. a couple of them,
especially website work,  actually appear to be necessary - but i
simply do not have the time and energy to do them.
letting go of what you can no longer do is important.


MEANING
the activities i continue are meaningful to me within my life's
purpose.
luckily what i do is also work i enjoy...but make no mistake - i
never get done and wish i had help or less work. meaning though
somehow seems to help make energy available.


ACCOMPLISHMENT
i can check off little things though - like: ok, that dvd is done and
available, or that item is done and delivered. - i think it is
important to stay aware of what you DO get done.


LIMITS
learn to set a limit....ie, decline, or find ways that help to limit
your involvement. there are things i will not take on as a job, just
occasionally help out if needed. because once i take it on - i am too
responsible to just walk away. and if i really can't do it anymore -
it is taking it's toll to say - i can't do it better or not at all.


LOVE AND PASSION - an OPEN HEART -> CONNECTION
with skye, i said "yes" when asked to take care of her, even though i
had not a single minute of time to spare in my daily schedule,  and
from then on i did absolutely everything i could to serve her in a
way that she would be a well adjusted and happy dog. the question
was: what did she need and what did i need to do. turned out, with
the way things are here and the other 2 dogs, it was a LOT of work,
difficult and  more that i EVER imagined. i had to observe,  study
and learn, it was physically exhausting - and then i got lucky
because i actually fell in love with her - for reasons i can't really
explain - she had the key to my heart, and doors opened, energy
poured in, healing happened,  transformation happened. absolutely
amazing in many ways...and the transition is still in progress....and
there is a big lesson -  an open heart is a must at some level on
this path. ...for me, it was this dog and wanting to do everything i
could to take care of her properly. she catalyzed something.
and - it lead to a transition and a different level and sense of
connection - with everything.
i can't tell you how to get there tho, or what it would take for you.


FLEXIBILITY AND ADJUSTMENTS
once i said yes to this living being, that job rose to the top right
next to the brane-power jobs i have ->  it is ok that priorities
change!!!!

myself, one of the many things skye  (you know, the dog i had been
asked to take care of) has taught me, - quite inadvertently,  because
she required it and i was committed to it - , was that a lot of
walking and working with her outside is something i needed. after an
excruciating 6 weeks,  i noticed the vast improvement in my body
(including emotional). it really does much better physically spending
time walking and outside. now that she is gone - it took about 2
weeks for my body to get into the same pain patterns and i am now
starting to walk again - without her. this takes time off other work
i could be doing i guess, but i need to do it.

and now we are back to self care.

i could go on and on -

rest when you are tired, eat when you are hungry, make some time for
play each day. accept you can't possibly get everything done - if
your plate  is too full and you also feel responsible to take care of
everything that is on the table...ur gonna burn.


DON'T COMPARE
someone whose plate is huge but does not have much on it - easy.
someone whose plate is small might be overful with the same stuff on
it. so it really does not work to compare. some folks are overwhelmed
with what someone else might consider small jobs. some plates are
naturally bigger or stronger.

be kind to yourself.
speak truthfully.

ASK FOR HELP
this i had been doing  from the guides and higher beings
with every cell of my being. asking for help on this path - with the
attitude of: what is needed, even if i did not know what it was, even
if it might look to me that i wanted something else. accepting that
what help will come will be what I need on this path  - and i am
convinced that when ej picked out skye and gave me the job - those
higher energies were involved.

COMMITMENT TO THE PATH and PURPOSE OF YOUR BEING
I don't know how I could live without that...

not sure this helped, but that is what my fingers were typing.

c.



Hello,
I am writing to ask for your suggestions or advice on how to manage my time.
I know you all do so many things everyday at the Institute and I have often
wondered how you get it all done.

Presently I find myself in a situation with a tremendous amount of work on
a variety of different projects. I realize that this is an attention issue for me
and I am having trouble organizing it all and feeling very tired at times.

I would appreciate any feedback as to how I might focus and
organize my time to get everything done. And feel rested if possible.

Do you have any suggestions or ideas?