Stumbling Down The Path

Lately I have found myself in some challenging circumstances. Aging parents with various accompanying scenarios have occupied much of my time and most of my thought. And to my disappointment, I have not been at my best. I have watched myself pushing energy all over the place -- insisting I've got the answers; worrying endlessly about imagined, future scenarios; doing all the talking and none of the listening.

But today a kind friend gently reminded me of what is real and true: The greatest good I can put forward here comes from my willingness to be present with my own and another's discomfort. Apart from issues of safety, which may need to be addressed, all I can rightly do is allow the other to follow their sacred path without my intrusion. My incessant desire to "fix" them, though not unusual, may be misguided. They may make decisions with which I disagree. There may, in fact, be unintended consequences. And yet, their journey is just that... their journey.

Jennie Marlow`s guide, Spotted Eagle, reminds us that what we think we see may not be what another is actually experiencing. Though sadness is an authentic emotion, pity imagines a reality for another that simply may not be so. It implies a knowledge not shared by the other. It is very suspect.

As I began to stare down my assumptions and agendas with criticism and disappointment, I was reminded of another observation by Spotted Eagle: We are imperfect people trying to do a perfect work in the world, and we will undoubtedly do it imperfectly.

So here I stand, perfectly imperfect. I will keep walking this path, and I`m sure I'll fall on my face from time to time. But if life were tidy, there wouldn't be much to learn, and it wouldn't be nearly as interesting. And besides, I`ve met some really great people with mud on their faces.