"I am fairly certain that given a cape and a nice tiara, I could save the world."~anonymous
One of my closest friends, gave me this saying in a frame that now hangs on my bedroom wall right above my bed. And in the corner is a bag with my collection of "magic" wands, also given to me by friends. Haha! Apparently, I've demonstrated such grandiose desires out loud on more than a few occasions, at least to my friends. But all kidding aside, don't you just want to save the world some days? or at least your friend who has just been diagnosed with an incurable disease? or the young woman who keeps going back to the abusive boyfriend? or the single mom trying to work and raise three kids?Haven't you reached for your magic wand in the back of your mind and hoped to make all the pain go away? I have.
My darkest and saddest life moment was when my third son died of brain cancer at age eleven. That was thirteen years ago. Some very significant people helped me rise up out of that pain and misery. As I opened my heart once again, I found I had this deep desire to not let anyone else experience such darkness. I wanted to help. So I started saying YES to ideas and places where I might lend my passion, my heart and my skill. I realize now that some of those yeses were just me trying to fill the aching void but over time my motivation has been more one of passion. I have been so lucky and so blessed by friendship and family and want to be a blessing to others. so I've said YES a lot, sometimes to the point of double-booking. Uh-oh!
Then the other day I was reading Mark Nepo's The Book of Awakening. On November 1st he shares this quote by Thomas Merton: “To allow oneself to be carried away by a multitude of conflicting concerns, to surrender to too many demands, to commit oneself to too many projects, to want to help everyone in everything, is to succumb to violence. The frenzy of the activist neutralizes his or her work for peace.” Whoa!
Nepo goes on to say "Merton wisely challenges us not just to slow down, but at the heart of it, to accept our limitations. We are at best filled with the divine, but we have only two hands and one heart. In a deep and subtle way, the want to do it all is a want to be it all and though it comes from a desire to do good, it often becomes frenzied because our egos seize our goodness as a way to be revered. " And I'm right alongside Nepo when he says "I have done this many times: not wanting to say no, not wanting to miss an opportunity, not wanting to be seen as less than totally compassionate. But wherever I cannot bring my entire being, I am not there. It is like offering to bring two cups of coffee through a crowd. I will always spill something hot on some innocent along the way."
One of my closest friends, gave me this saying in a frame that now hangs on my bedroom wall right above my bed. And in the corner is a bag with my collection of "magic" wands, also given to me by friends. Haha! Apparently, I've demonstrated such grandiose desires out loud on more than a few occasions, at least to my friends. But all kidding aside, don't you just want to save the world some days? or at least your friend who has just been diagnosed with an incurable disease? or the young woman who keeps going back to the abusive boyfriend? or the single mom trying to work and raise three kids?Haven't you reached for your magic wand in the back of your mind and hoped to make all the pain go away? I have.
My darkest and saddest life moment was when my third son died of brain cancer at age eleven. That was thirteen years ago. Some very significant people helped me rise up out of that pain and misery. As I opened my heart once again, I found I had this deep desire to not let anyone else experience such darkness. I wanted to help. So I started saying YES to ideas and places where I might lend my passion, my heart and my skill. I realize now that some of those yeses were just me trying to fill the aching void but over time my motivation has been more one of passion. I have been so lucky and so blessed by friendship and family and want to be a blessing to others. so I've said YES a lot, sometimes to the point of double-booking. Uh-oh!
Then the other day I was reading Mark Nepo's The Book of Awakening. On November 1st he shares this quote by Thomas Merton: “To allow oneself to be carried away by a multitude of conflicting concerns, to surrender to too many demands, to commit oneself to too many projects, to want to help everyone in everything, is to succumb to violence. The frenzy of the activist neutralizes his or her work for peace.” Whoa!
Nepo goes on to say "Merton wisely challenges us not just to slow down, but at the heart of it, to accept our limitations. We are at best filled with the divine, but we have only two hands and one heart. In a deep and subtle way, the want to do it all is a want to be it all and though it comes from a desire to do good, it often becomes frenzied because our egos seize our goodness as a way to be revered. " And I'm right alongside Nepo when he says "I have done this many times: not wanting to say no, not wanting to miss an opportunity, not wanting to be seen as less than totally compassionate. But wherever I cannot bring my entire being, I am not there. It is like offering to bring two cups of coffee through a crowd. I will always spill something hot on some innocent along the way."
Nepo and Merton are right. And my friends were wise in giving me the framed sign for my wall and a couple of little girl magic wands to remind me to not take myself too seriously. Yesterday I was talking with a woman who expressed a desire for a magic wand and had to laugh. I know that feeling so well.
So what do we do with that feeling? First I think we learn to say no so that when we say yes, we can really say yes. And then I think we do what that woman did yesterday. She handed her imaginary wand over to the Holy One and then just showed up and listened. It was all that was needed. She surrendered her limitations and was then better able to give herself fully.
And I think we need to laugh at our silly efforts to save the world.
Excuse me, I"m gonna go look for my cape now. (picture mischievous grin here).
Blessings on your efforts! ~ Jules
Blessings on your efforts! ~ Jules
Thank you for this Jules. I feel a sense of peace after reading your words. Gives me permission to refuse some very wonderful opportunities because I can't bring my whole self to them all.
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