At the start of each day there is a calming sense of peace. Before all chaos enters our thought process we take a breath, gaining peace for our day. As the moon rests in the West and the sun begins to rise, so shall our days be filled with peace and joy. Just as in that first morning breath of gratitude…we give thanks.
Before we turn in the towel on any given moment, we should stop and think what matters most. If our days bring chaos, we still give thanks, yielding valuable lessons. In gratitude, we find hope…hope for a brighter day. In gratitude we change our old thought process to that of love. So no matter what comes our way, we never give up.
Recently I was asked to enter a Water Wing Classic. The water wing classic is a group of men who enjoy swimming, choosing to swim somewhat competitively for personal gratification. By no means are they Olympians, but compete for bragging rights. Entering the water wing classic, I could feel my ego stirring. Afraid of losing because I hadn’t swum competitively in over 25 years and everything on the line. Lol…what was on the line…merely my EGO playing head games with me.
My ego made more out of it then needed be. As the competition began, I was transferred to the beginning of my day…that moment of peace. As I kicked off the wall, entering silence just beneath the water, gliding, streamlining before I took my first stroke. I took my first Breath. I thought to myself in that very moment, just before I took my first stroke and first breath, I am at one. As soon as I emerged from underwater, I took a breath and the chaos began.
Taking 12 strokes before my next breath, I breathe, giving it another go… three more strokes to go and I flipped… I turned. On my way back to the other side, loneliness surfaced, it was silence. In this very moment of swimming I am reminded how the human mind can trick us into thinking we are alone. I say to you… We surely are never alone. Then I hear screaming, chanting, splashing and more chaos…returning to my reality. I was never alone, only thought it so. Only a few more strokes to go and I’m to the other side. Losing steam, slowing down waiting to take to the finish line, I touch. I breathe and look around. Nobody else has finished: three people behind and one person quit. The person who quit was the challenger to this event.
With my adrenaline running high, I could feel my EGO rising to the top. I could feel my ego ready to speak, but then I stopped. I waited to hear what had happened. “My goggles came off!” Hearing this again my ego wanted to speak, but I checked it at the door. I recall countless times how my goggles had come off during the race and kept swimming. I said nothing and just took another breath. They challenged me to another race, but had nothing left. I said I can’t go on. They pleaded for a rematch and demanded I go another round. I asked for a minute to catch my breath and we had another go.
Now with everybody watching once again, the race was about to begin. Three, two, one… Go! Off we went. Again I am in a peaceful moment of silence, just under the surface, only to emerge to chaos of the day. Remembering peace within, briefly at the beginning of the day, carrying through my lane, chaos is extinguished. Even though chaos may come my way, the world may flip upside down; I remain calm, focused on my strokes within my lane…within my day.
It is not important about how fast we get through the day, or how strong of a swimmer we may be, what matters is the enjoyment of each race. Enjoyment of our days can speak a thousand words.
The lesson of the day, complements of my challenger, Never Give Up. It was a friendly race and many lessons were learned, most significantly was the path taken my whole life. I’ve been through many challenges and many races, even giving up on one or two of those races myself. Learning from these lessons, I learned no matter how I finished the race I should never give up…always giving my all, accepting the results of my day.
Life can throw us many challenges, some big, some small, but in the face of adversity we rise to any occasion. No matter what comes our way, just breathe, stay calm and remain in peace. Remaining in peace we are peace, thinking with a clearer head, allowing for better resolutions.
Witnessing myself through another person’s eyes, I could see myself giving up. Until one decisive day, “no more… I will no longer give up. I will accept defeat and whatever comes my way. I will give my best and accept the results with pride.”
As a witness through another person’s eyes, I gained an understanding. Understanding for the other person, allowing myself to ease up just a little bit, I learned in that brief moment of swimming my job here is not to beat somebody, but to raise them up. If I continue to beat the tar out of my opponent, I will never allow them to grow. Now it’s not to say that they couldn’t grow from being defeated… chances are their dreams of growth will be squelched. Easing up just a little bit giving them hope, giving them a winning chance. In the breath of hope they see the light, bringing them to a higher vibration…that of hope and love. In this higher vibration…we can do all things.
This day has proven so many lessons thus far, but surely more to come. The universe speaks in mysterious ways and those willing to hear it shall understand the lesson at hand. Arriving at work, a coworker is anxious to tell about her dreams on not giving up. I smiled as we spontaneously began laughing…although she didn’t know why she was laughing. We laughed because the universe was speaking through us giving us the lesson of Don’t Give Up.
If at first we lose a race, we look to brighter days in hopes of winning the race. Just the same, if our days bring clouds…we look to brighter days to bring us sunshine. No matter what comes our way, we merely smile, focusing on our end results.
What we focus on, shall become our reality.~Ani Po
Stepping into the Canvas with a ‘Can Do’ attitude, never giving up. Moving forward, accepting what comes our way, we adjust our actions, change our course…or the like…to aid in the end result of our intentions. That which we give our attention, our reality is formed. If we merely focus on the negative aspects of life, we shall remain there. If we focus on the positive…so shall be the same.
