I recently returned from a wonderful trip up to the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park which is close to the Kalahari on the border of Namibia and Botswana close the northern tip of South Africa. A trip planned for 2020 that had to be postponed due to covid and well worth the wait.
I travelled with my husband and two other couples in three 4 x 4’s with our roof-top tent and a trailer to carry all our supplies into this remote but organized area of one of the Sanparks, which is a division of The South African Wildlife Parks.
The experience was incredible not just because of the number of wild animals and creatures that I got to observe in their natural wild environment but because of the quiet and the solitude of being in the bush surrounded by nature, immersed in the energies of both relaxation and alertness.
I had time to just be. Driving out into the park at sunrise and sitting in the car at a watering hole has to rank as one of my favorite memories. At first glance it would appear that it’s simply a body of water for thirsty animals, but after a while of just sitting quietly, one is blessed with an abundance of wildlife emerging from the bush, to drink at the few places they have to drink.
What occurred to me was how similar life is, to what I experienced just sitting and waiting at the watering hole. Mostly, we rush through our day attempting to make a success of our life in the false belief that it’s the only way to be. What I’ve come to see from my coaching work over the last several years is the truth of how things really work. It seems the quieter I am, the calmer I am, the less driven I am, the more my life unfolds simply and beautifully.
I speak of this often and wonder if this makes any sense at all, to those who may not have an inkling of what I am referring to. In the book, “The Missing Link” published in 1998 by Sydney Banks, the preface, written by Judith A. Sedgeman, Ed. D. reads:
The truth in this book speaks directly to the heart and soul of the reader. It opens the door to the inner life of stability and contentment which everyone intuitively knows, yet many have lost sight of in their daily pursuits. In the loving voice of an author who speaks from the certainty of enlightenment, this book offers solace to the world-weary, hope to the discouraged, direction to the lost and contentment to the discontented.
It speaks simply, yet with profound wisdom, of the inborn potential for well-being, peace and happiness of all mankind which is accessible and near at hand. It illuminates the power of the human spirit in a way that transcends differences and evokes the best in all people. No one can read this book without being touched and inspired.”
First published 23 years ago, I wondered if Syd Banks had some idea of what we might be experiencing in 2021 as we are still in the thick of covid and a global pandemic. So, my observation is, if he wasn’t psychic and didn’t know of this event it would appear that nothing’s changed but, (fortunately for me and those that set the intention to continue on our journey in a way that wouldn’t suck the life out of us with all the effects of covid) everything is different.
A bold statement that I am willing to stand by since I am experiencing this first hand and know that many are too. Different how you might ask? Knowing that everything is in divine right order and will unfold exactly as it should and that I am not in control makes the difference that makes the difference. Think of it like looking through a different lens to what the majority of the world might look through and you may get a sense of what I mean.
Through my lens I see an opportunity to pause; to wait; to be still while still taking action and enjoying life but with less stress, more ease and more contentment. Not denying the facts but not marinating myself in them in a way that causes my head space to be taken up with unhelpful information that doesn’t support me in my cause to help and serve even more at this time. Of course, I am old enough and wise enough to be cautious but I am also hopefully conscious enough to recognize when I feel less than happy so that I can stop and get still again, knowing that life is constantly happening for me and never to me!
It reminds me of how just sitting quietly next to a watering-hole, simply waiting to be surprised by what may happen next and then delighting in what shows up. One time is especially memorable when, after an hour or more, out of the bushes two lionesses with their cubs, calming and majestically emerged from the thick bush and lowered themselves to drink, and we had the perfect spot to view the scene. Just before these predators walked out the bush, all the antelope, jackals, birds and creatures got jittery and started moving away to make way for the mighty beasts.
Upon arrival at the watering hole, we saw nothing but felt prepared to wait and it paid off. Not unlike the skill of patience, that one develops after waking up to the fact that there is very little one is in control of. Personally, I have lost any tolerance for feeling stressed, driven, tense or gripped by the circumstances of life. What I mean by that is I have become acutely aware when I am in a low mood due to any feelings of anxiety or frustration, mostly caused by situations that I can do nothing about. The miracle of it all is that this realization has helped me to become more conscious of my course-correcting abilities, built into the system, that is me!
It’s the way life works. Sometimes up and sometimes down and without any effort on my part, I can go from one state to another, just with one thought. Kind of like the way everything in nature works. The tide goes out and the tide comes in. Seasons change and the solar system continues with or without you noticing it. It’s seamless and its dependable and you are a part of this very nature.
My point being: if nature works with or without you then it starts to become clear that there is no-thing to worry about because life IS working anyway. There isn’t much that you need to do about digesting your food, breathing, pumping blood through your heart or healing a cut. That’s all taken care of whether you like it or not. What if all the other stuff that we like to dwell on, fix or change also works in the same way. Think about it? Wouldn’t you feel more relaxed, calm and content.
That’s my invitation to you today. I invite you to simply be a part of life; to allow yourself to walk this journey while enjoying the view. If you’ve noticed that your lens is clouded with images of rushing, stressing, striving and driving for more, bigger, better then maybe you’d like to try something new, like patience. Because if what’s meant for you is already built into you, then as a part of the whole, you know that you will naturally course correct and things will find you when it’s time. Who knows what season you are in? Does it matter? Is it really important when and how it shows up?
Ramana Maharshi said it best:
Let whatever comes, come
Let whatever goes, go
See what remains
All my love,
Sharon
