When I was in my early twenties, I lived in a Yoga Ashram.  We raised most of the food we ate.  I was responsible for looking after a flock of chickens. As the number of people grew so did the number of chickens.  It quickly became obvious that a new coop was needed. It was completed in record time. The only thing remaining was to build a roost. The roost I built was perfect in every way, except one, it was too large to fit through the door. What a quintessential dilemma. I did ultimately fit the roost into the coop. A few days later there was a storm strong enough to blow off most of the roof of the structure. Nature provided the solution to my dilemma. I and a few other men lifted the roost into the coop through the opening created by the storm. Nature intervened on my behalf.  The timing for all that to happen was perfect. There is no way to plan for something like that. Was it a chance event or a synchronicity? I would like to think it was the latter.  Call it what you what. I let go of the need to force an outcome and the rest took care of itself.

Victor Frankel writes about the reciprocity of the process of creation. I deeply resonate with this idea.  It helps me to let go of the grip my mind has in creating self-doubt. As I move into the world and create the life I envision, I can relax the grip of needing a specific outcome. That’s not to say I leave everything to chance. I like to experience success in what I create. For me it is about finding a balance between achieving and allowing. You need both. I find there is a flow and rhythm to the unfolding of my life. When I feel aligned to that movement, there is the greatest opportunity to manifest my unique expression.

There are close to 8 billion people living on this planet. Each person is unique. Each one uniquely expresses their life. What would life look like if that was done in a clarified healed manor? What would it look like if each person could release the pressing grip of their mind and move into life from a place of not needing to be right. I would like to think that relationship and mutual understanding could be the actual currency of our lives. The volume of trauma and drama would just dial down.

I have written about my participation in Man Kind Project. There is a saying that you can’t do another person’s work. So, I am left to take responsibility for my own actions and what I bring into life. That might be the best I can do in the crazy times we live in.  For me to live a life of clarity and introspection, I need my life reflected back to me. It is impossible for me to see the own blind spots in my strategy of life.  I am blessed to have a community of loving supportive men that are willing to do that for me and to hold me responsible for the agreements I make. 

The day will come when the desire to stay the same is more painful than the risk of growing. We are always in choice. It is important to live one’s life in conscious choice.

I love what Amoda Maa writes about making a conscious choice to change. She says, “There exists a possibility of a radical shift in consciousness when the momentum of psychological suffering reaches a tipping point. Is it possible that the shift from ego identity to Being-ness takes place when we are truly “sick and tired” of our own suffering? Is there are an evolutionary impulse that propels us towards awakening? How can we support ourselves in reaching this tipping point?”

Amidst the chaos and uncertainty of life, I remain open to Grace and the gift of my life.

If you have any questions, please email me at garymerel@gmail.com or call 732-208-2836. Also, please visit my website at leanintoyourlife.net

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