Are We There Yet?

January 29, 2009

Early in the morning, when the sun is rising, the world is quiet and still. Everything feels new and unfathomably wonderful. There is no chaos, loudness, anger, or stress. If you are fortunate enough to witness these moments, you know that this is what life was designed to be like–beautiful, simple, and serene.

If life does not feel this way for you, it is because you have added unnecessary distractions. Becoming serene and happy is easier than you think, because there is nothing you need to go find, acquire, or add to your life. All you have to do is let go of the needless clutter, remove the veil that keeps you from seeing clearly, and you will see the beauty that is already there. It is always there.

Admittedly, this process is easier for some than for others. I believe this is because we are all at different stages of understanding on our personal quest for happiness and balance. Most people come to realize this towards the end of their life, when they stop struggling to keep up, or to achieve. I have been blessed with painfully tragic experiences at a relatively young age. I am fortunate to have had them, because I can start enjoying life now, and helping others do the same.

This reminds me of the famous road trip question, “Are we there yet?” We all want to know when we will finally reach our destination; when will we be happy? This past fall my family and I drove from Portland, Maine, to Burlington, Vermont. Why? Because it is a lovely thing to do, a fiery splendor to behold (I beseech you to see New England in the fall.) We have taken road trips before, but this one was the first to include a GPS–that reassuring voice that says things like, “You are approaching your exit in four-point-five miles,” or, “You have arrived at your destination.”

Without a GPS, driving to someplace we’ve never been seems to take forever, because we don’t know how much longer is left; it is all un-chartered territory. But the drive back seems to go much faster because we recognize the progress markers along the way; we know when we’re almost home. I wish we could find a neat little gadget like that, a Life Positioning System, for our spiritual journey. It could say things like, “You are approaching a decision you’ll regret in three days,” or, “You will be past your suffering, and will arrive at your destination in four months.” Then it wouldn’t seem like it takes forever to get to our happy place. Knowing our progress markers along the way makes a long trip a little more bearable.

I have developed my own Life Positioning System by which I can gauge how far along people are on their path. Generally, I find that we are all in one of five stages, which I will share with you in tomorrow’s post. So, if you are wondering what stage you are in, join me here again tomorrow–early.

If you do nothing else, try to see the sun rise from time to time so you can appreciate the stillness I’m talking about.

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Posted in happiness, inner peace, serenity, simplicity