The Perennials of Life
A Meditation on the Nature of Suffering
Suffering and pain are perennials of life, rarely acknowledged but constantly present, a place where all our shared human experiences confluence, and compassion grows on banks of life like watercress, a byproduct of our spiritual ecosystem to nourish our soul.
A few weeks ago, I was sleepwalking through life. My eyes were blindfolded by the comforts of mundane simplicities of ordinary life. My heart closed upon itself like a reluctant bud that refuses to awaken from its peaceful slumber because opening up demanded complete presence and total participation. Engaging actively with the present moment was not something I was ready to confront yet. I was aware of this state of consciousness but unaware that it could be practiced into being. The proof of its natural occurrence was all around me, in nature and within its endless cycles of birth and death, there is an affirmative breaking open that is happening to evolve everything to its full potential. The …