R.I.P.

Verse 9

It is easier to carry an empty cup
than one that is filled to the brim.

The sharper the knife
the easier it is to dull.
The more wealth you possess
the harder it is to protect.
Pride brings its own trouble.

When you have accomplished your goal
simply walk away.
This is the path way to Heaven.
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While I was endeavoring to remain present and aware during this time of crisis, two things continued to show up as being important. One. It is easier to carry an empty cup than one that is filled to the brim. I was not too surprised to remember that keeping the cup emptied during the difficult moments would help in important ways: having fewer judgments about what needed to happen; the importance of being a good listener; just taking it all in with love; not stating my own opinions and decisions when it was important to just witness others creating their own. But what was interesting was that when things seemed to be improving, it was also imperative to remain empty: it was not helpful to be gleeful and excited about a judged 'good' outcome. How am I to know what is in the highest for the individuals involved? How can I really know that my externally-judged path is 'good', when the apparently more difficult one might bring them the gifts of learning that their souls are yearning for? What an opportunity it has been for me to remain in equanimity no matter what transpires, and to not root for one outcome over another. I cannot say that I always succeeded, but continually endeavoring to come back to this awareness was helpful; I didn't have to perform it perfectly, but just keep coming back, coming back.

The second learning that has been important also includes the concept of perfection. It was not an easy decision to postpone doing my Tao blog work during these past few days. I believed that I had made a commitment to do 81 days of verse in 81 consecutive days, and letting it go felt like failure. I had to pull myself back and look at what the message was here. What matters is the learning, and the full blossoming of the learning, not the exact timing of the journey. If I rush through with a pre-programmed timetable, I will likely miss the deeper gifts of an experience. I notice again and again my propensity towards a rigid idealistic perfectionistic nature, needing to perform and accomplish within rigid self-set guidelines. When I start to let go of this aspect that keeps me from being true to the individual moment, I can relax enough to empty and allow deeper wisdom to arrive. May I say goodbye to Rigid Idealistic Perfectionism. R.I.P.