Joy of Pain
Dear friend,
I have been running a lot lately. Like 34 of the last 40 days, averaging about five miles. I've had a lot on my mind and, as you know, running gives me a landscape for my thoughts to roam. On the days I don't run, and even on some of the days I do, I take a walk. We have so many great trails around so many lakes, that it's easy to find an enjoyable outdoor experience.
I was at Parkers Lake the other day walking, when I came across a very small turtle on the asphalt trail. We were about 20 yards from the lake. I stopped because he was so tiny. It will be hard to tell in the picture, but he was about the size of a sugar cookie. (I didn't consider eating him.) In the past I would have picked him up and walked him down to the water. I did not do that.
Instead I knelt down beside him for a moment. Told him he had a long walk ahead of him. And wished him an adventurous journey. Then I continued my own walk. I suspect he wasn't thrilled. He probably thought "Hey buddy, why don't you save me hours and just pick me up and take me over there?" Yes, it seems I talk to turtles and they talk to me. 🐢
What that little guy didn't know, that has taken me over 50 years to genuinely grasp, is that the lake is really not the goal. It's the getting from the trail to the lake, that is the richness of life. Actually, the entirety of life. He, like so many, thought the purpose of life was to reach the lake, and once there, an eternal bliss would be oh so satisfying. Ahh the delusions of a young turtle and humans alike.
DELIGHT
Granted the lake does give a reprieve. And if we don't find ourselves deeply refreshed from time-to-time, we will despise the journey. The difficulty, disappointment and deception of reality disguises the depth of delight available during distressing dilemmas. We think getting to the lake will enable us to experience that delight. But the joy of pain is in recognizing we can access it without being in the lake.
It's not inaccurate to say we can build a lake wherever we're at. It may be even more accurate to say we can shift our minds and hearts to see and believe the trail IS what we think the lake will be. Yes, yes, I'm waxing a bit poetic this morning. And it may seem like shallow dribble of "enjoy the journey" but it's not. Or at least I don't think. Or possibly I've experienced Truth from a different angle, and so it does eventually appear as something we already know. But man, it feels freshly relevant for me in this moment.
MINDSHIFT
What if the thing you considered a hardship you found a reason to be thankful for?
GRATITUDE
You and I know gratitude is a game-changer. Again, on the surface, we consider ourselves to be rather grateful people. It's actually a gritty tool that transforms our inner world. Another joy in pain is determining to be grateful for every person, situation, circumstance, and consequence. Most adopt a mindset that says "I'm not grateful it happened, but I'm grateful for the outcome." I'm proposing finding a way to be grateful it happened.
There is a residue of resentment we retain when our gratefulness only affixes to the result. We delay our own contentment when we parse out thankfulness in that manner. The great irony of our soul is we tend to hold others to account for something we're carrying, but resist the internal attention our own beliefs require to move our lives forward.
MINDSHIFT
What if you determined to explore your own beliefs and set everyone - past & present - and everything, free from being responsible for your reality?
NEXT STEP
My wife's son graduated college yesterday. My daughter graduates next week. It's such a thrilling unknown season of life. I love, for them, the sense of "what's next?" Granted, neither of them at the moment have jobs lined up and it all feels scary and very uncertain. I'm not sure either of them think it is as wonderful as I do. That's the advantage of age, I suppose.
The joy of pain in the unknown strengthens our faith, combats fear and proves the next best step is all we need.
Eliminating the illusion that the marketplace, work or economy provides security and certainty is a lesson I'd rather they both gain now. I hope the turtle didn't get run over by a biker. I suspect he eventually made it to the lake. I'm confident these young people will land jobs. Trying to bypass the arduous emotions that go along with the formidable actions only sets us back more. Let's not shortcut life, but grow through every challenge gifted us.
SHIFTING
I hope this week you find yourself feeling weird about what you're grateful for, encouraging others through their difficulties and experience deep joy in the midst of whatever pain afflicts you. #ShiftAway
