Pin Cushions

We just don't expect life to hand us situations that are different from our ideas of perception, but it does. We are constantly confronted with a thousand details that look totally different from the picture perfect ideal world of our imaginations. We think things will be one way and then they aren't. And ours is left the challenge of finding balance and equanimity among those patterns of wanting and expecting things to be one way when they are actually quite another.

And all of life is like this. We can get tripped up by the things we weren't expecting by not finding a way to adapt to them or accept them, or we stay neutral and in the moment and deal with them.

Today I am tripped up by human pin cushions in the form of my child. It's not easy being the parent of a child with diabetes. Sticking fingers for blood is normal for us, sticking needles in for insulin is normal for us, even if there is nothing normal about it. It is a minute by minute challenge finding balance and equanimity on the physical level, much less the emotional.

But these expereinces are amazing growth opportunities in life. All of us are presented with them, even if they aren't about pin pricks or human pin cushions. The challenge of presence is that our preconceptions are confronted by reality. Life hands us a million opportunities to challenge our expectations with the reality of what is and the only question we have to answer is how we are going to step up to the challenge.

Blessings.
- Darshan

© 2009 Darshan F Jessop