(That's the title of the post I was looking for.)
(Picture of Enrique and Jenny in their kitchen...)

So, let's see...where did we leave off? I've been back in Dallas just over a week since returning from Costa Rica. Costa Rica left a permanent mark on my soul. It was eye-opening and enlightening on so many levels. Because of the awesome guidance of Global Soul Adventures founder, Kate LaCroix, we had the opportunity to really immerse ourselves in the Costa Rican community with cross-cultural exchanges, as well, while we were there. One of the days we were there, we got to have lunch with a local family right in their oceanside home. I know that sounds plush, but to say it was a house is really not an accurate description, at least in the way we think of a home here in the U.S. Enrique and Jenny's home, which is about 200 yards from the Pacific Ocean on the side of a cliff, and actually resembles more of a shack, earn a living fishing. They both awake early in the morning to go out to the ocean to catch fresh fish, which they then sell in the town of Montezuma and also make delicious Ceviche with. With hardly anything, and what we might consider here in the U.S. to be poverty stricken, they were two of the brightest souls I have met. They both had so much joy in their heart...it was infectious, and their joy had nothing to do with their belongings. It came from their heart, which is the only place joy can flow from. They were in touch with the Light and the Light shines through their eyes. I am grateful to have gotten to meet them and to have been invited into their home. Meeting Enrique and Jenny has brought greater Light to this idea of a recession here in the U.S., or even globally. What are we really receding from...stuff? Realizing we don't need hardly any of the stuff we think we do and that 'stuff' is not the key to happiness? Perhaps, this supposed recession is more of a wake-up call to the reality that joy is not anything that can be bought. The Source of joy lies in our heart and in our connection to the Source of life itself. There are many ways to call this Source, but it is that Energy which ignites the beat of each of our hearts into existence...it is the igniting Energy or the Presideing Intelligence pulsating through all of Creation.

Something I've been meditating on since returning from Costa Rica is the cycle of pleasure and pain. I went to Costa Rica knowing it was going to be an immensely pleasurable experience. But, I also considered that upon returning, I might find there would be pain waiting for me on my doorstep, and there was. I have learned that when we seek pleasure, it is usually to avoid pain. This doesn't mean we shouldn't allow ourselves to experience pleasure, but experiencing it with Consciousness is key to being able to befriend any pain that waits for us on the other side. If we consider any worldly pleasure we seek, is it not in some way to avoid experiencing an underlying pain? There is an enlightening quote from the Bhagavad Gita about this very awareness.

"One who has control over the mind is tranquil in heat and cold, in pleasure and pain, and in honor and dishonor; and is ever steadfast with the Supreme Self." - Bhagavad Gita

"Treating pleasure and pain, gain and loss, victory and defeat alike, engage yourself in your duty. By doing your duty this way you will not incur sin."- Bhagavad Gita

So what does this mean for us then? The good news is that at some point, they no longer seem like they are on two ends of the spectrum. The other day as I was practicing Yoga, I was experiencing pain from a relationship in my life. Where in the past I may have cursed this pain, I actually started laughing out loud while I was doing my Chatturanga push-ups. So, such is life...if we are going to enjoy the intenstity of pleasure, we must not be afraid to experience the intensity of pain, for both enrich us and enlighten us, ultimately. At the same time, we can practice being Conscious in the midst of our pleasure seeking. And, learn to love our tension...which I'll be back to write more about soon.

"It is within the experience of everyone that when pleasure and pain reach a certain intensity they are indistinguishable." - Arnold Bennett

"LIFE is a mosaic of pleasure and pain-grief is an interval between two moments of joy. Peace is the interlude between two wars. You have no rose without a thorn; the diligent picker will avoid the pricks and gather the flower. There is no bee without the sting; cleverness consists in gathering the honey nevertheless." - Sri Sai Baba

May we know the joy that is beyond the grasp of the senses with each breath we breathe...Namaste! Read more