Dear Homosapiens,
Please tell yourselves and any other creatures you may know that I’m writing to inform you that love is the most useful activity in which we can indulge. As you may already know, love includes tolerance, kindness, friendship, smiling, hugs, and courtesy as important and nourishing parts of everyday life. Oh gosh, did I say important and nourishing??
Yes I did.
You see, my professional opinion is that love is not merely something desirable as a way of living, but it is also quite necessary and nourishing for the soul. Therefore I feel it’s important to love each and every creature, plant, and even soil particle with every fiber of our being. We are all part of this entity we call Nature, are we not?? Love is what ties us all together; and if you don’t believe me, please feel free to ask me some time.
Does this mean that we must open our homes to invite hardened criminals or other nasties into our homes for a nice meal?? We could, I suppose, but I know of some folks who I likely will never invite to my house. However, I really do try to remember that we are all children of the Universe and we therefore all deserve to be loved unconditionally. My sincere belief is that we are all interconnected, so it’s important for me to realize that negative energy releases toxic vibrations into the Universe. Criminals and other sadly afflicted individuals already have more than enough negativity stuffed into their nostrils and other body passages. It’s important for me to regard such types as spiritually ill, and pray for them until the cows come home if necessary. If the cows don’t come home, I pray all the more. Heck, I pray even if the cows have been home for a very long time!
In other words, I believe I should love everyone; but that doesn’t mean I must like them.
These ideas were at one time completely foreign to me. When I was younger and much more foolish, I would sometimes revel in the idea that it was OK to label someone as a jerkface stinkerbutt. I would sometimes even try to vent my feelings with single-fingered sign language while driving by in my car. Or perhaps I would seriously entertain the thought of offering them some Dog Poop Surprise for a snack. At the very least, I would find myself judgemental and often resentful of the person’s mere existence. This is all very bad juju.
Now I am much older and (I hope) a little less foolish.
Thankfully, I received what I refer to as a gift of desperation a few decades ago that helped me realize my judgemental and resentful tendencies were not at all healthy. Bottom line: I really needed to grow up!! I sought and received help from professionals and loving friends, and am happy to say that I’m feeling pretty content 99.9% of the time. When the other 0.1% tries to creep in between my ears, I focus on being grateful. Even if things seem icky, it’s a rare day when I cannot I enumerate at least 5 things for which I can be thankful. And of course when I start getting into the “jerkface stinkerbutt” mode, I pray for the person (or people) to be happy and healthy all the day long.
Sometimes I have to pray several times.
As I mentioned, I needed to grow up; and that endeavor is and always will be a work in progress. These days I find peace of mind much more valuable than money or any other material blessing I might find lying around the house. I’m especially grateful I have people in my life who are like minded, loving souls.
Life is good; and I hope and pray it is good for all of you.
“And now,” as Mr. Cleese used to say, “for something completely different.”