The Air after Pain

Live for the air after pain (time-out)

and there will be no reason to run (resist).

Mark Nepo

(M.E.'s take)

Today Mark hits the nail on the head for me when he talks about 

how we attempt to escape the inevitability of pain in our life.

He says:

So many times, in our despair, we see our pain as 

something that will never end. 

In fact, this often defines our moments of despair: when we believe 

that our pain contains the rest of us. 

In contrast, there is this sense of peace to work toward: 

the belief that our life contains our pain.

I like to think of Jeff Foster's use of oceans and waves as the analogy here.

My life is the ocean.

Pain is the wave that appears from time to time.

But pain is not the ocean.

The ocean is the big picture, and pain-waves do arise from time to time.

And yet, they are NOT and never can or will be

THE OCEAN,

the bigger picture of my life:
Where
GOD
IS.

Here's the meditation for today:

Center yourself and focus on a physical or emotional pain that is with you.

As you inhale, bring in all that is larger than your pain.

As you exhale, release the pain into the larger air that is pain-free.

As you repeat this, focus on the moments that are pain-free,

and invite them to expand.