Inspiration When We Need It Most

I hope this post won't offend you or bore you, but it might.  I wrote it, mainly, as a reminder to myself, and for anyone else out there who may need it.

 Can't see the forest for the trees

Sometimes things just don't go the way they should, or, rather, I should say, the way we think they should. This winter has been one of those times. My closest friend struggles to come to terms with the senseless death of someone very close to her.  Another friend has a severely disabled husband to care for, without the financial means to do so. My problems are small compared to theirs; I continue to add to a collection of health problems brought on by a job that becomes more and more stressful each day, and can't seem to find a way to resolve the situation.  Yesterday I learned that someone from whom I should be able to expect support had made some very negative comments on my yearly evaluation. At first I was hurt and angry, but I've been through enough in my life to know that these feelings won't do anyone any good- to say the least.  I recalled the Buddha's famous quote:

"Your greatest enemy is your greatest teacher."

Seems a bit confusing, right? To illustrate, Pema Chodron tells the story of  the great Buddhist teacher, Atisha, who brings a very unpleasant servant with him to Tibet, because he fears the Tibetan people may be too nice!  Read more about it here. Or, to hear another explanation in Chodron's own voice, watch the video below.




I'm trying to internalize this idea and put it into practice.  In the meantime, the immediate challenges remain, and I'm no closer to figuring them out than before.  But just when I think it's time to give up, someone puts inspiration right in front of my face, quite by accident.  In this case, for instance, I had not looked at my notices from facebook, (which go to their own inbox apart from my regular email), in a very long time. I've just been too busy, too overwhelmed to even think about it. So, on this snow day, I was getting ready to delete all or most of the 854 facebook emails, when I thought, wait- maybe I should check first to see if there's anything important in there. The first thing I noticed was that I had missed a blog post by my dear friend Donna Iona Drozda. As I read it, I was so moved and inspired by the story of one woman's courage in the face of terrible odds, and by the beautiful art she made as a result, that I wanted to share it with you.








I saw a video of this little boy on the news the other night, and was amazed by his energy and positive attitude. You may have heard of him; his name is Robby Novak, but he calls himself the "kid president."  His PEP TALK cracks me up and makes me feel better, no matter what.



According to the CBS Evening News, Robby loves to dance, but for him, dancing can be a problem.  "Robby has osteogenesis imperfecta, a disease that makes his bones brittle. He has had more than 70 broken bones and 13 surgeries. He has steel rods in both legs.
But Robby says he doesn't worry about breaking things.
"I don't worry about -- like, that's my point!" he exclaims. "I'm trying not to worry about it. Like, I want everybody to know ... I'm not that kid who breaks a lot. Like, I'm just -- I'm just a kid who wants to have fun."

The Buddha said, “We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world.”
It's all about how you think, what you choose to see, and the attitude you choose to have each day.  I have to try to remember that.

Oh, and I have to share one more Buddha quote, which may be my ultimate favorite:
“You can search throughout the entire universe for someone who is more deserving of your love and affection than you are yourself, and that person is not to be found anywhere. You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe deserve your love and affection.”
Try not to forget that.

Well, that's it- the end of the preachy post.  I hope it inspired you, but if not, next time I'll be back to the regular art stuff, I promise.