I am always reading something. I
have been reading at least one book at a time since I was old and skilled
enough to follow sentences formed into paragraphs. I remember my father reading
a little children’s book (I believe it was called A MOUSE IN THE HOUSE) to
me when I was so young it’s virtually the only memory I have from that time
period. One of the many things I treasure about my family of origin is how I was
introduced to love of the written word from the very beginning of my life.
I am reading two books right now. THE PRESENCE PROCESS: A Journey Into Present Moment Awareness by Michael Brown. Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert.
The former called to me from the back seat of a blue jaguar when I was on a Godwalk. I saw a flash of cover from the peripheral vision of my right eye, and something told me to go back and make a mental note of the book before I continued on my Godwalk. So, I did. I checked it out on-line, read some of the reviews, and ordered it within a day or two.
As I am writing this post, I am now on week five of the ten week presence process. Brown rightly suggests in his book that you not try and describe this process to others, because there is simply no way to accurately portray it unless you’re going through, or have gone through, it. Rather, I may simply quote from the book from time to time, because there is SO MUCH therein about authenticity.
Eat, Pray, Love, however, I have read before. (You have probably seen the movie with Julia Roberts and Javier Bardem.) This book was a gift from my friend Jackie and I loved it so much I loaned it to two different people. The first gave it back covered with dog teeth marks (she loved it, too, and offered to buy me a new one; I declined) and the second – I can’t remember who that second person was – never gave it back. Hopefully she paid it forward and someone else is enjoying it.
At any rate, after re-watching the movie after it came out on DVD, I decided it was time to re-order another paperback copy, just for me, so here I am re-reading it at the same time I’m going through the presence process. I am stunned by the similarities and parallel learnings, at least for me, at this time in my life.
This is from page 260 of the impeccable writer Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love:
“I keep remembering one of my Guru’s teachings about happiness. She says that people universally tend to think that happiness is a stroke of luck, something that will maybe descend upon you like fine weather if you’re fortunate enough. But that’s not how happiness works. Happiness is the consequence of personal effort. You fight for it, strive for it, insist upon it, and sometimes even travel around the world looking for it. You have to participate relentlessly in the manifestations of your own blessings…It is easy enough to pray when you’re in distress but continuing to pray even when your crisis has passed is like a sealing process, helping your soul hold tight to its good attainments.”
I have not experienced a crushing depression like Gilbert did before she wrote this book.
I have not experienced the kind of physical pain Brown did before he wrote his book.
Yet, somehow, I know this to be true. We create our own happiness. What we think about takes form and affects our emotions. Our emotions affect our bodies. How our bodies function affect our thoughts and emotions.
The Presence Process enables us to embrace the insight that authentic growth comes from what we don’t know… Our intent isn’t to feel better, but to get better at feeling. –Michael Brown
Never again use another person’s body or emotions as a scratching post for your own unfulfilled yearnings. –Elizabeth Gilbert
What happy thought can you think today, one which comes from your heart and feeling? -Laura Handke
Authentically Yours, Laura
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