One of the interesting aspects of growing old and older, is the recurring question, “What one piece of advice would you give me?”
To anyone thinking of asking the question, I would offer a lesson which I continue to relearn. Do not ask a question if you are not open and willing to hear and understand the answer. There is an ongoing struggle in our conversations which revolves around one’s ability to absorb what one is hearing. Speaking more slowly and loudly will not solve this problem. The vessel, my mind and heart, once full cannot hear more unless I am willing to let go of something, anything.
As I reflect on how my answer is changing, it is as if I am looking at a 3-dimensional picture. From one axis, the answers are simple, pragmatic, and linked to the immediate. As I shift the perspective to the larger and more permanent picture, I see something else. Asking the question and hearing the answer always has context.
As the lessons unfold, I find myself being led to the answer. As I arrive, I already know in my heart that this is the center. To the question, I find myself responding, “Above all else, seek to find and nurture your relationship with Divinity.”
If one follows this, Life reminds me of how care, kindness, and love emerge in one’s soul and life actions. Divinity moves beyond the arbitrary ways we try to define it in our faith systems, finding life in our relationships to the world around us and the individuals we touch. There are no colors in this view. There are nothing which separates you and I from Divinity except for the barriers we construct with our fears.
If the follow-on question is “what do I do next”, my answer echoes the psalms, “Jerusalem, worship God! Zion, praise your God!” (Psalm 147.12). In whatever form it takes, and in every action, let it be a celebration of care, kindness, and unconditional love! From my journey, the lesson is that nothing in life is more important.
