Enjoy and Learn

Question

• What do I enjoy? What lessons am I willing to learn?

Insights

• Enjoyment, as I understand it right now, is a state-of-mind, produced by being truly present to whatever is! Pleasure, on the other hand, is a poor substitute, which depends on expectations being met or external objects!
• With age / maturity there is an increasing possibility of experiencing joy in even suffering! May be especially in suffering?!
• Of course, there have been times when enjoyment seemed inappropriate – situations where apparently seriousness was called for. May be there was some confusion about frivolous fun and deep enjoyment which comes from en-joining!
• My friends, especially Raj and Bhushan, have suggested, that I should be doing what I enjoy. Hence actually the questioning! I think any answer is driven by my understanding of who I am.
• I can literally see all the different answers through the years of this life-time. Now the quest has shifted to more being “here and now”. Hence, more often than not enjoyment is becoming the steady-state – the space which comes from deep acceptance, from a faith that Divine is taking full interest in my journey! So today, often, mostly, I enjoy whatever I do (and not do)!
• Being with individuals in times of confusion and clarity; working with communities to discover the shared purpose, the path to it and doing the walking to get there; being one with Mother Nature; enjoying the gift that every breath is; feeling the feelings; deeply accepting the failures; the aliveness of the children; the amazingly simple questions of Savita; her and our struggles; works of art; sports; the unfolding of the “Next Step” world over; the breathtaking stories of the brave souls who are pioneers in all fields – the list is unending and so is the grateful Joy!
• Lessons to Learn – all, each and everyone, harder the better!! The deeper the darkness, the more welcome is the penetrating light!
• Simple things and deep truths – no difference really. Bring them on, am enjoying the challenges, loving the churn, grateful for the gift of understanding, celebrating with every breath this eternal journey of Discovering Deeper Devotion to the Divine in the daily deeds of lovingly living the life Given!