A New Perception

“The moment you feel joy, the moment you laugh and change your perception, you change your immunity, your body chemistry, and your whole well-being.”
~Debasish Mridha~
A few months ago my father left the planet to begin his next adventure. I had the opportunity to take my mom to Yosemite thinking that the quiet power of the mountains might assist her at the beginning of her grieving process. It was lovely to see her have moments of connection as she began the new phase of her own journey.
She purchased the jewelry above, initially referring to it as a “broken heart” necklace. Honoring her perception and experience, I gently offered another interpretation and simply said, “How beautiful. I see it as a complete heart. The love is still whole, the two sides are just in different form. Like you and dad.” Her energy simply shifted and she mentioned that she really liked how I see things.
Grief ebbs and flows. It was nice to be able to provide another point of view and, in that moment, nice to see that it was helpful. Many things are true simultaneously and we can choose how to interpret our experience. When faced with your own challenges, see how many differing interpretations you can accept. A change in perception changes everything.

Learning Through Loss

“Though your days here were brief
Your spirit was alive, awake, complete.
Let us not look for you only in memory,
Where we would grow lonely without you.
You would want us to find you in presence,
Beside us when beauty brightens,
When kindness glows
And music echoes eternal tones.”
~John O’Donohue~
Loss is part of life. Where we once had the opportunity to discover who we are in the presence of another, at some point we must also discover who we are in their absence.
We unexpectedly lost our kitty Mr. Monster yesterday. And while never an experience one would consciously or purposely choose, I know that is it perfect and that he will come around again in another form.
Everything plays a role in our awakening. Challenges can bring unexpected kindnesses and compassion and even now, my heart is filled with gratitude for all the love and friendship in my life.
Any loss provides an opportunity to cultivate the art of acceptance. Whether the ending comes through death, divorce, life paths diverging, work or relationships reaching the end of shared experience, the process is the same. We can focus on the blessings or the loss – the choice is ours.