It reminded me of the wonderful quote from Pema Chodron's book, When Things Fall Apart: "To be fully alive, fully human, and completely awake is to be continually thrown out of the nest. To live fully is to be always in no-man's-land, to experience each moment as completely new and fresh. To live is to be willing to die over and over again." The journey is never really ever fully done. Releasing resistance to what is will be something we get to practice over and over and over again.
I love that you had that quote on hand to share with us! And I can see that others do too. It's a fantastic book. Honored to be mentioned in the same comment with it!
Beautiful. I find myself asking: What stretches my capacity for open-hearted living? Embarrassingly, it’s often things that sneak past my defenses rather than being courageously welcomed in. So it goes…
I can relate to that, I'm sure we all can. One of the things we are working through in our Human Hour conversations is how to give ourselves a fighting chance, no pun intended, by catching those defenses before they kick in and opening our hearts. Easier said than done, for sure!
Just beautiful, Kelly. None of the many miracles in my life have ever formed a better version of me. Often the result is quite the opposite. It's the mundane, the ordinary, the steep, narrow way that has - slowly - chiseled away the hard, demanding stuff in me.
What a gift to behold the vision and uncertainty of all things. To feel everything on the path, to not turn away from anything. Divine path indeed. I loved this piece. So warm and such a loving reminder of the extraordinary experience to walking the divine path.❤️
Thanks for this reflection, Lisa. I have to give credit to my spiritual director here. I was in the middle of writing this post when I met with him and he called it the "divine path."
Guau, Kelly!!! Empecé a leerte hace muchos años (no se ni cuando ni cómo llegué a vos), hacía unos años que no leía nada, entre trabajo, familia, etc, pero hoy te leo y me encuentro esto. Qué hermoso!!!!!!!! Cómo cambiaste!!! Qué punto cierto!!!!!!! Yo practico kriya yoga (del SRF que está en tu país), y ese es un punto álgido, que cada tanto nos tenemos que recordar y que es difícil de
aceptar. Aunque nosotros hacemos más foco en que "no por buscar a Dios, eso nos vaya a permitir omitir todas las lecciones que por uno u otro motivo tenemos que aprender..." También entendemos (o tratamos de entender jeje) que esos desafios y lecciones son lo que necesitamos a veces para avanzar y crecer, expaandirnos. Dicho todo esto, me encantó cómo narraste toda la escena, pude verla y fue delicioso leerla! Abrazos desde el sur del continente americano!!
James, that's truly the best thing an author could hear, that the words will live on and be evoked going forward in day to day life. Thank you for the image of each moment as both an arrival and departure. That will stick with me, as well.
This is so thought provoking and beautiful. I’m sure many read this, personalizing the narrative to an extent. For me, this rings true in the journey of addiction and recovery. Brene Brown says we can’t selectively numb. When we numb with addiction, we may minimize the pain and awareness of the negative but we also dull our awareness of beauty, love, and light. A true awakening makes us vulnerable to an entire spectrum of human emotions and experiences. Saudade hit a nerve somewhere deep inside, and speaks to the grief I want to avoid, but, as you shared, am invited to hold compassionately. I’ve been clean for 4 years. I still feel my emotions, thoughts, and awareness fresh and new like the tingling of a limb after it’s been asleep; slightly painful, but coming back to life. I will read this again and again. So awesome!
Congratulations on four years of sobriety. It's powerful imagery you use, describing your emotions, like a limb that has fallen asleep and is tingling awake again. I love that. It shows just how thoroughly you have lived in and through your sobriety. As you reread this, may it support you in your journey, Lindsay!
I want to be able to use a quill pen and ink and write this all out on parchment paper! I would tuck it into my bedside book to read its rich message again and again. Wow, Kelly. How beautiful. Looks like a new book to me…..😉
I can’t express how truly proud I am of you as a human being, a father, a husband and a comforting source to sooo many people through your words. God has given you a gift and your one of the few people that I know that has truly used it for his glory ❤️
Speechless. Incredibly captivating and enlightening. I've been using this definition of health lately (not sure where it comes from), but "health is the ability to handle life's on life's terms". This has been one the biggest area of growth for me over the past 7 years and I'm still learning - namely, to love life as it is, exactly as it is, today. You're a gift my friend.
It's been far too long since we have broken bread together in person, and yet it's clear we are still growing in the same direction. That's how you know you have truly found one of your brothers from another mother!
“Geeeez Kelly!” I said aloud in my car after listening to the audio of this. If this were a physical book, I would have underlined so many things. I need to read it again because initially I was so mesmerized by the way you put this into words that I’m not even sure I caught the weight of what you were putting into words. The same way you look at a painting and are amazed at the painters talent that you miss what it actually is she painted.
Wow, that's really high praise, Blake. That's how I feel about some of my favorite books: the first time I just experience them and the second time I go back and focus on specifics. I hope the second pass is as meaningful as the first. Appreciate your encouraging words!
Wow - this really touched me - I was right there - can you visit them all please Kelly - and I will come too.
Mary Clair, I'm thrilled to hear it resonated with you so deeply. And that is a very interesting idea. I'm intrigued by the idea of visiting others!
It reminded me of the wonderful quote from Pema Chodron's book, When Things Fall Apart: "To be fully alive, fully human, and completely awake is to be continually thrown out of the nest. To live fully is to be always in no-man's-land, to experience each moment as completely new and fresh. To live is to be willing to die over and over again." The journey is never really ever fully done. Releasing resistance to what is will be something we get to practice over and over and over again.
I love this quote. Thank you for sharing.
I love that you had that quote on hand to share with us! And I can see that others do too. It's a fantastic book. Honored to be mentioned in the same comment with it!
Beautiful. I find myself asking: What stretches my capacity for open-hearted living? Embarrassingly, it’s often things that sneak past my defenses rather than being courageously welcomed in. So it goes…
I can relate to that, I'm sure we all can. One of the things we are working through in our Human Hour conversations is how to give ourselves a fighting chance, no pun intended, by catching those defenses before they kick in and opening our hearts. Easier said than done, for sure!
Just beautiful, Kelly. None of the many miracles in my life have ever formed a better version of me. Often the result is quite the opposite. It's the mundane, the ordinary, the steep, narrow way that has - slowly - chiseled away the hard, demanding stuff in me.
Mmm. Yes. Every bit of our ordinary lives are forming us. The miracles may even be a bit of a break from that. What a powerful idea!
What a gift to behold the vision and uncertainty of all things. To feel everything on the path, to not turn away from anything. Divine path indeed. I loved this piece. So warm and such a loving reminder of the extraordinary experience to walking the divine path.❤️
Thanks for this reflection, Lisa. I have to give credit to my spiritual director here. I was in the middle of writing this post when I met with him and he called it the "divine path."
Profound and it resonates with my experience! Thank you.
You're welcome, Joan, I'm glad it resonated with you!
Guau, Kelly!!! Empecé a leerte hace muchos años (no se ni cuando ni cómo llegué a vos), hacía unos años que no leía nada, entre trabajo, familia, etc, pero hoy te leo y me encuentro esto. Qué hermoso!!!!!!!! Cómo cambiaste!!! Qué punto cierto!!!!!!! Yo practico kriya yoga (del SRF que está en tu país), y ese es un punto álgido, que cada tanto nos tenemos que recordar y que es difícil de
aceptar. Aunque nosotros hacemos más foco en que "no por buscar a Dios, eso nos vaya a permitir omitir todas las lecciones que por uno u otro motivo tenemos que aprender..." También entendemos (o tratamos de entender jeje) que esos desafios y lecciones son lo que necesitamos a veces para avanzar y crecer, expaandirnos. Dicho todo esto, me encantó cómo narraste toda la escena, pude verla y fue delicioso leerla! Abrazos desde el sur del continente americano!!
My wife was able to interpret some of your comment for me. I'm so glad you gave this piece a chance and that it had such an impact on you. Blessings!
Beautiful. Thank you Kelly
My pleasure, and thanks for reading, Mike.
Profound messages delivered through a beautiful dialog. Wow. I hung on every word. So much richness.
I particularly loved this: “The list of things I have still not learned to love is long.”
Walking the path is a continuous opening of the heart one moment at a time, each moment its own arrival, and departure.
Thank you Kelly. I fell as if I’ve just read a book that will now live inside of me and express itself outward ongoingly.
James, that's truly the best thing an author could hear, that the words will live on and be evoked going forward in day to day life. Thank you for the image of each moment as both an arrival and departure. That will stick with me, as well.
❤️❤️❤️❤️
This is so thought provoking and beautiful. I’m sure many read this, personalizing the narrative to an extent. For me, this rings true in the journey of addiction and recovery. Brene Brown says we can’t selectively numb. When we numb with addiction, we may minimize the pain and awareness of the negative but we also dull our awareness of beauty, love, and light. A true awakening makes us vulnerable to an entire spectrum of human emotions and experiences. Saudade hit a nerve somewhere deep inside, and speaks to the grief I want to avoid, but, as you shared, am invited to hold compassionately. I’ve been clean for 4 years. I still feel my emotions, thoughts, and awareness fresh and new like the tingling of a limb after it’s been asleep; slightly painful, but coming back to life. I will read this again and again. So awesome!
Congratulations on four years of sobriety. It's powerful imagery you use, describing your emotions, like a limb that has fallen asleep and is tingling awake again. I love that. It shows just how thoroughly you have lived in and through your sobriety. As you reread this, may it support you in your journey, Lindsay!
I want to be able to use a quill pen and ink and write this all out on parchment paper! I would tuck it into my bedside book to read its rich message again and again. Wow, Kelly. How beautiful. Looks like a new book to me…..😉
Thank you, Donna! I was thinking maybe a "podcast in parables?" 😊
Wonderful - thank you!
You're welcome, Ellen, thank you for reading!
I can’t express how truly proud I am of you as a human being, a father, a husband and a comforting source to sooo many people through your words. God has given you a gift and your one of the few people that I know that has truly used it for his glory ❤️
That means the world to me, Uncle Larry. Thank you for reading, and for such a meaningful affirmation!
Speechless. Incredibly captivating and enlightening. I've been using this definition of health lately (not sure where it comes from), but "health is the ability to handle life's on life's terms". This has been one the biggest area of growth for me over the past 7 years and I'm still learning - namely, to love life as it is, exactly as it is, today. You're a gift my friend.
It's been far too long since we have broken bread together in person, and yet it's clear we are still growing in the same direction. That's how you know you have truly found one of your brothers from another mother!
“Geeeez Kelly!” I said aloud in my car after listening to the audio of this. If this were a physical book, I would have underlined so many things. I need to read it again because initially I was so mesmerized by the way you put this into words that I’m not even sure I caught the weight of what you were putting into words. The same way you look at a painting and are amazed at the painters talent that you miss what it actually is she painted.
Wow, that's really high praise, Blake. That's how I feel about some of my favorite books: the first time I just experience them and the second time I go back and focus on specifics. I hope the second pass is as meaningful as the first. Appreciate your encouraging words!