Just Be

"While Eeyore frets,
and Piglet hesitates,
and Rabbit calculates,
and Owl pontificates,
Pooh just is."
(From The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff)

When I read this paragraph, I couldn't help but feel identified with many of those roles. There are times in life when I hesitated, others when I was calculating and strategizing, others when I was fretting. In my world, I always equated being with doing. The more I did, the more I felt I was and there was an underlying feeling that it was never enough. I kept filling my schedule with activities and things to do since in my mind that meant I was amazing. Last year, I started realizing that I wanted to be more like Pooh, just be. I did not want to equate doing with being but start separating the two and knowing that even if I did not do anything, I could just be and that was ok.

The more I read about Tao, the more I realize that this philosophy really talks to me. "Through working in harmony with life's circumstances, Taoist understanding changes what others may perceive as negative into something positive. From the Taoist point of view, sourness and bitterness come from the interfering and unappreciative mind. Life itself, when understood and utilized for what it is, is sweet." (Benjamin Hoff - The Tao of Pooh). Many times we see challenges in a negative light but Tao says that challenges are only opportunities to grow and evolve, to become stronger. If we look at situations with a simple mind and not over analyze them, we can see that each situation, whether positive or challenging, presents a seed of opportunity. Can we take that opportunity and grow in our path? Can we see it as a chance to become more the person we are meant to be instead of what society or the complex mind would let us believe? Part of the teachings of the Tao is to have a simple mind. Our minds usually play tricks on us and they make things seem worse than they really are. We always tend to imagine the worst scenario without realizing that we can make a decision, grow and then become better. Sometimes we need to let go of the mind and just experience, just be. Sit in the present moment and go with the ebb and flow of life. If we learn to trust that every experience is part of our journey and that we are able to stand anything that is put in our path since it is meant to guide us to where we need to go, we can live our lives from a different perspective and not lose our happiness. Happiness is not based on what we have or don't have, it is based on simplicity and just being. Don't let the monkey mind rule your life and rob you of your happiness, choose to let your heart guide you and just be.

Blessings )0(