I have been very busy lately, working long hours on editing and beginning my new community
mosaic project. It has been a joy to work with lovely ladies in our Murphys community who
want to participate in creating beauty through art. And it has been sometimes a struggle with a lot
of “oh no’s!” as I edit. Together, that is what an artful life is like. Sometimes, things flow, and
sometimes it is like running uphill. But now it has all leveled out. I have finished a round of
edits, and my book is back at the editor until next week. Will there be a pile of more edits to
come? I’m not sure, but I am pretty happy now with what has come together, like this foundation
butterfly garden that will have to wait until the next mosaic phase.
“The release of joy cannot be genuinely felt without knowing its opposite.”
I recognize this type of dichotomy in my story. It is the way life is set up. We can not know deep
feelings unless we also know their opposite. You can not grow unless you are challenged.
Terrible things happen,/Good things happen. Grief can not stand alone without joy. Courage is
not true unless there is also fear. We can not recognize light until we are in the dark and on and
on. This is our world of samsara, as it is referred to in Buddhism. We live in a realm of opposites
all of the time. Things flow, and they do not flow.
Then how can we be truly happy if sadness is just around the corner and a partner to joy? The
answer is acceptance, gratitude, and the awareness that this is true. We have joy and relief in our
happy times and struggle in our challenged times, but when do we grow and learn the most?
Usually, it is during the most challenging if we are honest. That is how things work. When life
presents a challenge, we are asked to experience something uncomfortable. But this, too, will
pass, and when it does, it feels so good!.
If you are struggling right now, understand this is an important time. Learn all you can. Some
kind of relief will follow, even if it is little or fleeting. Look for it. Blessings and miracles are
there if we look. The world depends on this balance of challenge and blessing.
Stay Well!