Wednesday, March 6, 2013

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.






23 comments:

  1. I am in complete agreement, Buddha was right we are what we think... and I am doing the same work as you... : D nice to know eh? xox

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    1. Yes, Cat... changing our thinking can be the hard part, can't it? Much love to you! :~)

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  2. Great post, Sharmon.... even though its a good teacher, I'm sorry for your struggles at work. AFGO ( do you know that one? another blanking growth opportunity!) I'm glad you shared these ideas and what you are going through. Its all a part of who you are as an artist, I think.

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    1. Thanks, Valerianna. AFGO- that cracks me up- love it! All of our experiences can be learning opportunities, but sometimes I think, OK, I've learned enough! ha!

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  3. Loved Pema's talk... yes these "teachers" are all around us...wonder why we need so many? I guess we need to learn through our whole lifetime.
    Keep yourself strong at work.

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    1. Well... I think I probably need so many because I'm a slow learner... :~) haha

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  4. Great to read your post...a wonderful reminder of some great teachers such as Pema Chodron.I will always be grateful to reading her books as they truly helped me through a very dark time. My best wishes to all of us...life is beautiful but the lessons can be rugged! Find pleasures in between lessons is my advice!

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    1. I like that advice, Mary Ann- thank you. there are teachers around us everywhere, if we pay attention...

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  5. I laughed at Gwen's comment about teachers... "wonder why we need so many". We do indeed need many, many teachers. I hope your days become less stressful at work and that the hurtful comments in fact open the door to something better. So often the negatives open positive doors.

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    2. Yes, I told Gwen I'm a slow learner... I could use as many teachers as possible! I agree with you about the doors- sometimes you have to go through the negative ones to get to a positive place... I'm sure I'll get there soon. Thanks, Robyn.

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  6. All worth pondering. A great post.

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  7. great post, Sharmon! I have heard this Pema talk before but still laughed out loud at it. It seems to take many times being exposed to situations like yours before we actually can negotiate it with grace. Somehow as you point out we can know it in our heads, but the habitual response to take it personally, to see it as unjust is so strong. But as you are doing here, we work with it over and over.

    I am being very strongly drawn to the idea of "with our minds we create our world". It is so true and so much work to turn this big ship around! But totally worth it.

    And no, your post was not depressing. Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts and process with us!

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    1. Hi Carole, I'm totally with you- believing that we create our world with our thoughts is so different from the way we experience it in daily life. We have to persevere and and keep trying to "turn this big ship around", as you said. I love that metaphor, by the way!

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  8. Sharmon,when Jesus was asked about the greatest commandment, He said, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul and mind and strength. And the second is like it. Love your neighbor as yourself."

    We can't love others if we don't love and believe in ourselves and if we love God, love ourselves and love our neighbors, other people's opinions of us are irrelevant. You, my dear Sharmon, not only deserve love, you are the recipient of the greatest love you can possibly imagine. Believe in that; don't believe the negative thoughts of others.

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    1. Beautiful words to live by, Janet. I truly appreciate your encouragement.

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  9. I love your beautiful blog good job Thanks lot for this useful article

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    1. Thanks for visiting, Butik, and for the kind words.

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  10. I needed an inspirational post today. Storm brewing at home this week. Thanks for sharing.

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    1. Deb, you are so welcome to any inspiration I might have... I'm glad if it helped.

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  11. Sharmon, I don't find this preachy at all, but full of truth and inspiration. Perspective and attitude are everything. Thanks for these positive thoughts. The last quote (being worthy of love) stuck with me all day. Best, sus

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    1. Thanks, Sus; I'm glad you don't find it preachy. My hope was that someone would find it helpful or encouraging. It's kind of funny, though, that someone "unfollowed" me right after I posted this. As Lincoln said, you can't please all of the people all of the time! :~)

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Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with me. I'm happy to reply here, but may not always have time for individual emails.