First of all, I am really back this time. I know I said I was going to publish more blogs in May, but it turns out life was still all sorts of crazy and I never got to it. Well, I am now one job shorter and have a little more time on my hands to be able to do things like clean my house, eat breakfast and lunch, and of course blog! Secondly, this is kind of going to be a little bit of repeat from my instagram/facebook post from yesterday, so I apologize in advance for those of you who have already read it.
I have prayed many days and nights for years to get help with the extremes in my life. I did not think I would ever get an answer to those many prayers. It was becoming a fact of life that I would need to live in those extremes for the rest of my life and it was exhausting!
Last night as I was at rehearsal for the choir I am in (Lux Singer's women's Chorus) and I was listening to the director teach us some amazing things. The last thing we did during rehearsal was practice being in tune. He had us all singing and listening. He then told us to put our hand on our chest and close our eyes. He helped us to feel the vibrations and to listen to others around the room. Then after we had done the exercise, he talked about being in tune. If we are not in tune there is dissonance in our sound and in our lives. This had already gotten me thinking. It is important to be in tune with our minds, hearts, and souls. It is important to be in tune with the things going on around you and in your life. If we are not in tune with what is going on in our lives, it creates dissonance. Maybe we are not in tune in our marriage, or our parenting, or our spiritual lives, all of these create dissonance and can cause permanent damage if we don't get back in tune.
The director then began talking about The Middle Way. The Middle way comes from Buddhism, it is a path between two extremes. One that gives us peace as we walk through the chaos of life. As Aristotle believed, "Every virtue is a mean between two extremes, each of which is a vice." I learned so much from this discussion last night. I already knew I lived in extremes. I either got all the things done and did everything in the world, or I did nothing at all because if I started I would have to finish and it was just too much to deal with.
Gandhi once said, "Recall the face of the poorest and the weakest man whom you may have seen, and ask yourself if the step you contemplate is going to be of any use to him." This is what the middle road is. Continually checking in with our hearts, minds, souls, to determine whether or not what we are doing is changing ourselves and others for the better, or causing harm and pain to others. The middle way is an amazing way to face life challenges. It is a way to figure out the root to our problems and to find a solution to them.
Our Director finished by saying, when we stop asking ourselves "is it me?" then we will find ourselves getting out of tune.
What am I learning and how can I change to make things better? How am I going to apply this to my life? Will I be able to stop living in extremes? Is it me?
As I contemplate the answers to the questions and the answers I have been given, I just want to say how extremely grateful I am for a choir director and friend who is in tune. I love being a part of an amazing choir and the things I am learning through being a part of it. The choir and the people who are in the choir have saved me. I am so thankful for the loving people I get to be around when I am there.
Tune in for my next adventure. I will be posting more soon!
