November 7: Day 130

STONE SIX CONTINUTED
 
Be: Letting go of past hurts, disappointments and abuses, and letting go of future plans and expectations, I resolve to live in the present moment and simply be. Be present, be open, be available, be with Higher Self.

Instruction: Be available.

We have talked about being present in the moment, but we haven’t talked much about being available. This is a concept that is often overlooked, because our world has become so chaotic that being available seems to have lost its meaning. Years ago, before interstate highways and crowded cities, it wasn’t uncommon to stop what we were doing to help someone who was stranded along the side of the road. Nowadays, it seems we’re too busy going from one place to another to stop to check on someone, so it has come down to needing roadside assistance from companies linked by phone and satellite. I’m not suggesting the old ways were better. The point is that we are not available, because we have places to go, things to do, and we don’t have or make the time. Few people, with the exception of perhaps those in the rural areas, take a leisurely stroll or Sunday drive with no end destination and no agenda.

When it comes to our spiritual lives, we may have fallen into the same trap. We have spiritual or religious goals or destinations to achieve, and heaven-be-damned if we’ll let anything get in our way — including the voice of The Divine. We can be so caught up in trying to be all things religious and spiritual that we miss out on the experiences as they unfold around us. We can read about the beauty of nature and how we can hear the voice of The Divine though flowers, trees, babbling brooks, and serene lakes, or we can take a walk and open our hearts to the experience. To be available also means that we can connect through a book. All experiences have the potential to grant us a deeper connection with our Higher Power if we will be available to hear, see, listen, and sense the power and presence that surrounds us.

How is your availability today? Do you have every minute of your day planned? In an emergency, most people will drop everything they’re doing to be in that moment and help when needed. If everything can be dropped so quickly, what does that say about the value of what we are doing? That’s not meant to discredit our work, but to remind us that there is more to life than busyness or business (bus-i-ness). Seek moments of time during your day to be available to your friends and neighbors, to The Divine, and to yourself.