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.
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