You can’t give away what you don’t have. -Anonymous
I am sitting drinking orange tea at a small local coffee shop. One hour. I have one hour to type. I miss my home computer and am contemplating buying a laptop; something that won’t happen today, hence my reason to visit an Internet cafe.
I re-read an article last night that my sister had given me over a year ago. It explores the idea of inner peace and happiness. It compels the reader that we cannot possibly experience peace and happiness in our life if we are not daily sharing a life that practices giving away the very thing we want. We argue that we don’t see purpose in this life or at least our own purpose. The author Dr. Wayne Dyer comments, "you come into this world with absolutely nothing. You will leave this physical world with exactly the same. All of your acquisitions and achievements can’t go with you. Therefore, the only thing you can do with your life is give it away. You’ll find yourself feeling purposeful if you can find a way to always be in the service of others. Purpose is about serving."
A friend asked me this morning, "How are you doing." It was the genuine, tell-me-how-you-really-are kind of how are you. My answer, "I am living in the now." This bothered me after Shawn died. I wanted desperately to have my schedule, calendar, goals and agendas back in place. I wasn’t convinced that living in the present moment and placing all my attention on that moment was where I was supposed to be. Shouldn’t I be going somewhere? How many times have I heard the uncomfortable phrase – are you moving forward? On days that I follow the instuction to be here now – peace comes. There is a soothing reassurance that occurs when I begin to allow the God of the Universe to be the God of my moments. I find I have more to give in the segment of time set before me than when I dwell on my well-intentioned plans for the future.
Where am I now? Sitting in a loud, boisterous coffee shop listening to the grinding of coffee beans and people racing to order their specialty drinks. Noise is all around me. Quiet is inside of me. Writing. I am most peaceful when I write. This is how I share. This is how I give myself away.
