It was a lazy day. Overcast, crisp, and oddly relaxing. I had left my to-do list metaphorically behind and was wandering the streets, enjoying the discoveries, and escaping. A used vinyl shop caught my attention. The building art reflected my mood in the moment which was captured in a photograph. As I start a new day, engaged and reflective, I find myself drifting back to the moment in time that just was. It seems so long ago, yet the questions then are the same ones now. I wonder what attitude I will bring to the day ahead. In remembering and looking forward, I can hear life revealing the lessons I will carry with me.
Intent and motivation come from within me. Influencers are trying to shape these from all directions. From friends sharing advice to guilt along with visible reminders, externals are working to form my intent and increase my motivation to their ends. As strong as these might be, I hold the keys to the future within me. As strong as the pressure might be, I will choose my response in words and action.
The choices ahead start with a fork in the road. Am I looking at the day ahead through the lens of community and family or is it all about me? I know I often muddle the choices in a desperate attempt to mask my “me” priority in a family wrapper. The telltale is my attitude. Candidly, regardless of what I am trying to tell myself, I know. When my attitude is aligned with kindness and care, I know I am following wisdom’s starting point, “Each one of us needs to look after the good of the people around us, asking ourselves, ‘How can I help?’” (Romans 15.2)
In looking after the good of others, I need to start with myself. I am often my worst enemy. My heart knows what it needs to do while my body longs to be indulged. It is in helping myself through kindness and care that I experience what it is to be loved by Divinity.
