Sometimes we become so identified with our lives; our personal goals, aspirations, and defined way of being, that we lose sight of the many miracles and blessings sprinkled into every moment. We may fail to recognize the beauty in the details intricately woven into the fabric, particularly during times of increased stress or crisis. Often disguised as delays, missed opportunities, or even perceived setbacks, we sometimes overlook the gifts of discovery right in front of us.

 

Lately, we have been experiencing an acceleration of time and a dramatic sense of disruption and chaos. Without question, we observe this daily in world events – economic, political and environmental. But also, this heightened sense of time and change is occurring more personally and close to the heart. If we take pause and really witness what’s happening in the midst of turmoil, we will notice that there also exists an intrinsic goodness. In these turbulent times, there are always individuals who choose to respond with compassion, selflessness and a sense of universality. We will recognize, and maybe even participate in random acts of kindness, courageous choices and a deeper sense of what it means to be a an integral part of the family of humanity.

 

The real voyage of discovery consists not in

seeking new landscapes,

but in having new eyes.” Marcel Proust

 

Sometimes these shifts in life have such a colossal impact to our senses and the life we know that we no longer view things as we once did. This new perspective can be disarming and even terrifying at times. But as we loosen the moorings on old perceptions and beliefs, we develop a vantage point that lets us see things more clearly. It’s as if the facade has cracked and fallen away, and we begin to see things differently. We begin to see things as they truly are – raw, delicate, beautiful. Even in what appears to be broken or vulnerable, there is a strength that radiates from the core.

It is in surrendering this grip on assumed, familiar identifications that we begin to immerse ourselves in our true identity….the Self that knows it’s true purpose for being. It is accepting ones innate gifts and expressing them with humility and grace. This is the Self who acknowledges her strengths and gifts as well as her limits. She is willing to speak her truth and leave her footprint. It is accepting ones unique gifts of self as well as the gifts of others, that we come to appreciate the integral contribution that each one has in this great masterpiece of life.