Days of Razor-Thin Rays

Light seems to shine only in slivers these days but there is enough to wend my way through “the big squeeze” as Pema Chödrön calls it.

We’ve all been between a rock and a hard spot, “caught with both the ‘upliftedness’ of our ideas and the rawness of what’s happening in front of our eyes.”

Perhaps the landscape of life is always this either/or. I don’t feel the squeeze when my moments are of peace and joy. Light seems everywhere, space unlimited.

But these days are of razor-thin rays, the landscape bleak. In the uncertainty of bouncing between a rock and a hard spot, my frustration is high and my despair deep.

Chödrön tells me this is a “stroke of luck,” an opportunity to experiment with “not getting tossed around by right and wrong, learning to relax with groundlessness.”

What have I to lose except insecurity and uncertainty?

And there is a wisdom in immersing myself in that experience. It is its own peace and joy, even in the big squeeze.

Pema Chodron quotes are from When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times.

Aim for Even posts offer equanimity a dose at a time. No day or dose is ever the same, even if the aim is. You may read about the origins of Aim for Even here or on this site’s About page.