Each stone on a beach or in a riverbed is unique, no two alike. But, in the end, they’re not that different, either. You are unique and precious—but no more unique and precious than any of the billions of other people in the world.
How will you stand out in the crowd? How will you help someone else be noticed?
Sometimes solitude is a burden, bringing a sense of loneliness or abandonment, a feeling that we are lost and alone. Sometimes solitude is a blessing, a peaceful moment when we can return fully to our own self, a time apart to finally rest in the quiet. Either way, it is a temporary state. The footprints of those who share our lives always surround us.
Today, do you seek solitude or company? Whose footprints will the ocean erase, and whose will continue to appear alongside your own?
“Therefore, be ye lamps unto yourselves, be a refuge to yourselves. Hold fast to Truth as a lamp; hold fast to the truth as a refuge. Look not for a refuge in anyone beside yourselves. And those, who shall be a lamp unto themselves, shall betake themselves to no external refuge, but holding fast to the Truth as their lamp, and holding fast to the Truth as their refuge, they shall reach the topmost height.” – Gautama Buddha
How will you find refuge in yourself today?
Katy Perry sings Baby you’re a firework, and I think it’s true. Sometimes each of us makes a glorious splash of color against the sky, lighting up the world with our beauty and brilliance. Other days feel like we are spinning furiously, going nowhere, sending off sparks in all directions that alarm those closest to us. Neither kind of day lasts forever.
What sort of light will you put forth today?
The lotus flower is important in Chinese mythology as the symbol of something pure and beautiful that grows up from the muck. It is a reminder that each of us can transcend our circumstances. But remember, the lotus never leaves the muck behind – the unattractive mess at the bottom of the pond is what nourishes the plant throughout its life.
What messy parts of your life continue to nourish you?
