Good morning from New York City. What’s on my mind this morning is a great question someone asked me one time. I was thinking about it because it was one of those things – you know, when someone says something to you and you’re like gosh, that is such a great way to think of it or such a great question, and I want to remember that. It becomes part of your own process. Well, this was one of those. Before I talk about it, let me give you some context.
I remember I had received an incredible invitation in Europe and I was having this conundrum about should I go or not. The question was this: are you running towards something or are you running away from something? It caught me a little bit off guard because I was painting this picture of a possible really great thing I could do in Europe. The question brought me back to my heart space and made me start thinking about why I was traveling so much. At the time I was in a long-term relationship, and we were living in a very small space. Yes, things were really good but our lives were intertwined in such a way that I was – I don’t want to say I was losing myself – but I was a little bit losing myself. That’s one of the reasons I love what Kahlil Gibran has to say at the end of his poem on marriage. “And stand together yet not too near together, for the pillars of the temple stand apart, And the oak tree and the cypress tree grow not in each other’s shadow.”
The net-net here is that I had basically lost myself in this relationship, and when my friend said to me “you have to ask yourself if you’re running towards something or running away from something”, it opened a Pandora’s box and completely shifted my thinking. In fact I was running away, not from him and not from the relationship but I was running away in order to find my space and in order to hear myself think. You get the idea. The point I want to make is that that question really shifted my thinking.
My friend Claudia sent me something beautiful yesterday and, like the question are you running towards or running away from something, this hit home. It’s something that really has me thinking so I thought I’d share it. It’s by Asho. He’s also known as Rajneesh. He was an Indian philosopher, a mystic, and the founder of the Rajneesh movement. You know, the people who wear orange. It’s about freedom.
Osho says this: “Freedom from is ordinary mundane. Man has always tried to be free from things. It is not creative. It is the negative aspect of freedom. Freedom for is creativity. You have a certain vision that you would like to materialize, and you want freedom for it. Freedom from is always from the past and freedom for is always for the future. Freedom for is a spiritual dimension because you are moving into the unknown and perhaps one day into the unknowable. It will give you wings.”
I think that’s just beautiful, especially the little bit freedom from is always from the past and freedom for is always for the future. It’s going to inform my thinking about the next few months as I take Dear Constance on the road. “Freedom for is creativity. Freedom for is always for the future. Freedom for is a spiritual dimension because you are moving into the unknown and perhaps one day into the unknowable.”
That was a gift for me Claudia. I really appreciate it. That’s all for now. Until next time, from my heart to yours.
