I've just discovered the artwork of Albert Bierstadt and Thomas Moran. So freaking beautiful!! I've got to remember these names as I would like to purchase some posters of their work.
I've often struggled with being too interested in too many things and thus have had trouble committing to mastering anything very well. I've often feared tying myself down to one thing....which is kind of silly because if you can master one thing, you'll have a vocation (hopefully) and then have more time to develop your other interests. Anyways, it's taken me awhile to figure that out and I'm at the point in my life now where I'm going to do what I can.
I will be finishing school hopefully in the next year or so but while I'm at it, there are some other things I would like to work on for personal enrichment and the interesting possibilities that could arise out of them. I think the key with these will be doing a little bit at a time and not biting off more than I can chew.
I was pondering the benefits and enjoyment I've gotten out of doing some simple yoga videos for the past few months when my mind wandered to the almost endless amount of books, videos, and seminars on finding inner peace. Having gone to massage school, I was exposed heavily to the New Age movement and its constant striving towards inner peace, enlightenment, higher consciousness, etc. It's a tempting world in which one flits from guru to guru and discipline to discipline, thinking they've got it right and somehow we less enlightened folk can learn from them and also be enlightened. Honestly, I see it as a never ending, and ultimately un-fulfilling wild goose chase with some nuggets of interesting experiences but again, ultimately un-fulfilling.
Of course, the frustration comes from the fact that in this life we will never truly find inner peace. Even as Christians (and I think that sometimes Christians can fall in a similar trap of constantly seeking that "inner peace") we have peace knowing that our sins have been paid for and we will go to heaven but, we still war with our flesh and experience all the hardships life throws at us. Some days we can handle it because our perspective is right and some days we can't because we are weak human beings. So in many ways I feel sad for those people who are trying so hard to attain some higher level of existence because life is difficult and will always be so. It has a way of finding your weak points and exploiting them, testing your limits on all fronts. When I do yoga, I do it not because I'm constantly trying to reach an apex in life but because the breathing, the stretching, and the calming focus of the mind are all very helpful tools in dealing with life and it's stresses. I know that ultimately my real peace and fulfillment will come the day I am with the Lord. In a way, this takes all the pressure off (and dare I say, gives a sense of peace). I do not have such high expectations for my yoga practice or anything else really, I just do it to help me in the moment. My final destination is assured and it's better than anything I could do myself....luckily God took care of it all. |
RegeeGot lots on my mind. May as well put it here. Archives
April 2014
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