Things are not always as they seem! Two spiritual travellers stopped to spend the night in the home of a family. The family was rude and refused to let them say in the guest room. Instead, they were given a small space in the outer buildings. As they made their beds, one of the travellers saw a hole in the wall and repaired it. When the other traveller asked why, the first replied, “things aren’t always what they seem.”
The next night the pair came to rest at the house of a couple with simple and scarce means. After sharing what little food they had, and generous warm and comforting conversation the couple offered up their bed for the travellers to have a good night’s sleep for the rest of their journey. When the sun came up the next morning the couple and the travellers found death in the field, in the way of the beloved pet.
The first traveller was beside themselves with angst and sadness asking “why” of their spiritual roots and lamenting to the other traveller. The wise one said again, “things are not always what they seem.” This angered the first and they questioned … “how can you say that? And you even repaired the wall of the first family adding insult to injury.”
The wise one turned and placed their hand on the shoulder of the other. They said, “in my meditation last night I visioned death calling on one of the couples, in the vision I saw us having a meal, storytelling and a scene of love. Death looked over the scene waiting to take one of us, instead death turned and left taking the pet. Secondly, there were riches in the wall I covered them over to allow for a little difficulty in getting to them.”
Things aren’t always what they seem! How often do you look at your life in one certain way only to find years later when wisdom and experience are at hand you realized things are not what they seem? I have had many people say to me, “it was a blessing in disguise!” This is perspective and potential at work.
This past weekend I was gifted with a stay on 400 acres in the Kawartha Lakes. I was on a silent retreat with my best friend and we shared time with a few others (all in the practice and awareness of social distancing). We came together for the purpose of letting go. Letting go of fear, stress and perceived challenges in life. Letting go of the past that no longer serves and letting go of old hurts and anger. Letting go of that which we held that keeps us separated from spiritual awareness. Letting go of that which creates tunnel vision and closes in our world. I went on the heels of a shock that rocked my world on the very day I was to leave for the retreat. In truth, I was surprised I wanted for nothing all weekend because I packed in an emotional fog.
The silent retreat was speckled with teachings that included 20 – 30 minute meditations of various techniques. Ways of sitting with one’s thoughts and letting the mind calm and settle, something many of us forget to do on a daily basis. We were given permission and space to truly sit with our own thoughts. Over the course of the weekend between hikes, walks, moving from gathering to the silent meals we enjoyed, I covered 30 km. I covered 30 km physically with my feet and my body and I covered 300,000 km of memories. I rested and let go of much that was tied to the shock of the Friday. In Christian terms, it might be compared to Good Friday, the day of death and then the defying of that death with Easter. I found perspective and tapped into my own potential.
Dr. Wayne Dyer says, “Every seed has ‘treeness’ in it!” He tells the story of how, when he was living in the orphanage with the nuns, he was helping plant tomato seeds in the garden. He stows away a few in his pocket. Later when he is alone, he uses his knife and cuts open the seeds looking for the tomatoes. He finds nothing. It was here he realized in his young wisdom, they were planting potential, not tomatoes. Not every seed would come to be a tomato and as we see in the fields sometimes there are sometimes corn seeds amongst the soybeans. Every seed has treeness in it. The seeds we plant within our own heart will grow, it is our choice of what kind of seeds we plant.
Seeds of despair?
Seeds of anger?
Seeds of frustration? Or
Seeds of hurt?
Or will you plant …
Seeds of compassion and awareness?
Seeds of love and acceptance?
Seeds of hope and kindness?
Whichever seeds you water and nurture are the seeds that will grow, prosper and come to fruition. May you pay attention to the seeds you scatter. We all have seeds of all kinds it is our choice of which to tend, feed, nourish and grow in our life. It makes a difference.
Cynthia Breadner is a grief specialist and bereavement counsellor, a soul care worker and offers one-on-one homecare for aging adults who choose to age in place. This care includes emotional support, physical care, mental well-being, and spiritual practices to soothe the soul. She is a volunteer at hospice, LTC chaplain and a death doula, assisting with end-of-life care for client and family. She is the mother part of the #DanCynAdventures duo and practices fitness, health and wellness in the South Simcoe and North York region. [email protected] breakingstibah.com
