There is some apparent incongruity in our lives that suddenly hit me. While we want most things “yesterday” and cannot bear to wait for fulfillment or ratification there are some jobs that we choose to put off perpetually — either because they are too complex or daunting or difficult or unpleasant or because we feel unequal to them. It could be a mega project, long term in nature, a clean-up operation at home, an important but potentially explosive conversation with a loved one, the kicking of a bad habit (controlling one’s temper or beating stress) or whatever. If you have even an iota of doubt about the success of your mission or fear about how it will pan out, the attempt gets shelved.
Uncannily enough there landed in my inbox this inspirational verse that stressed the importance of taking that first step and urging one to make small beginnings. It read:
Just for today
Turn fear into trust,
Sighing into breath,
Chatter into silence,
Revenge into forgiveness,
Stuck into open,
Loss into gratitude,
Receiving into giving,
Pain into growth.
And each moment will become
YOUR moment.
So it’s really about seizing the moment and getting off the hook, about cashing in on the power of now — the title of Eckhart Tolle’s seminal work. It’s not about waiting for some future moment that you think is perfect or right. As Neale Donald Walsch says in his book Conversations with God — “All people are special and all moments are golden. There is no person and there is no time one more special than another.”
Incidentally the inspirational verse quoted above is a variant or rather an elaboration of what is contained in the Reiki prayer or the Principles of Reiki which comprise five key points and pretty much cover everything in life. Many of us have come across the oft-repeated tip in self-help books, which advises us to break down a big job into smaller more doable tasks to make it less intimidating. Ditto whenever we are seeking change within. By not worrying for one day or five minutes a day and then doing it on a more sustained basis we can soon cultivate the habit of not worrying. By keeping a check on one’s temper for just one day at a time, it can well become second nature in due course. Practice is what makes perfect. Practice on a regular, sustained basis can make a vast difference and reward us handsomely with bliss and joy.
To hark back to the Reiki prayer. It goes...
Just for today I will live the attitude of gratitude
Just for today I will not worry
Just for today I will not anger
Just for today I will do my work honestly
Just for today I will show love and respect for every living thing.
Just for today — three keywords — not when I am 64 or a 100 or when my children are married and I have retired and I have fulfilled my duties as a householder.
One of my favourite treks and a spiritual one at that, is climbing the footpath unto Tirumala the abode of the Lord of the Seven Hills. It is a 3,300 plus step climb that is an experience in itself. It affords time for introspection, it provides an opportunity to commune with nature and take in the beauty of this awesome and scenic setting. The sky within touching distance, the hills and the forestry for company and a bird’s eye view of the plains. It is also a test of one’s physical and spiritual strength, and each time it is a different experience. If you go in thinking I have done it before, what is the big deal? You are sure to be in for a surprise. Like the time when it suddenly began to rain while my spouse and I were halfway through. Night had fallen and the sudden rain caught us unprepared — no umbrellas, no raincoats, no nothing. Soon the rain left us drenched and what’s more huge rocks that got dislodged came hurtling down the footpath at tremendous speed threatening to knock us down. All I could think of was what the much loved hymn that I learnt in school said:
Lead, Kindly light, amidst the encircling gloom, Lead Thou me on!
The night is dark and I am far from home, Lead Thou me on!
Keep Thou my feet, I do not ask to see
The distant scene, one step enough
for me
The summit was a long, long way off in such inclement weather. We continued to climb with a steely resolve born out of complete faith. Shortly after, the rain stopped as suddenly as it had started and by Divine grace we made it to the top sooner than we had anticipated. Focusing on one step at a time made all the difference.
Even in illness taking it one step at a time is the way to go. Doing what needs to be done each day, following the doctor’s advice and being thankful for the day's progress is what aids a quicker recovery. Let me close with this Chinese proverb which says, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”. So unless we take that first step instead of agonising over the humungous nature of the task and dwelling on imaginary fears, we are never going to get anywhere even in our spiritual journey.