I love this recent passage from British writer and Sufi practitioner, Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee at www.awakin.org.
“Present in both the inner and outer world, one learns to serve the world, serve life, serve others without effort. This is a very careful balance. If one takes upon oneself the onerous responsibility of service, then the ego easily gets caught in it; the psyche gets encumbered by it. But being engaged in an ordinary life allows us to be of service without the burden of thinking we can solve the world’s or other people’s problems, which brings with it self-importance and, worse, spiritual self-importance.”
“Extraordinary in the ordinary” has compelling energy to me. It’s a feeling. It’s an appreciation. It’s a way of being with self. It’s an invitation to be with and among others. It’s a way of celebrating. It’s a way of changing and growing perception. It’s a way of coming alive. It’s a way of enriching.
I’m glad for the many of us seeking to live in such ways, and to call such ways out with groups. Nicole Frederickson comes to mind from one of her recent posts, Sometimes. Pema Chodron also with her invocation, “This very moment is the perfect teacher.”
As I wrote in my journal this morning.
What might this new day bring?
I hope aliveness and vitality
in the simplest of things.
Here’s to the many fulfillments and contributions that can come from a welcome of the profound ordinary.