Pride the Progress Killer

Proud as a peacock is not necessarily a bad thing.
Majestic Peacock designs on Zazzle

I've been pondering spiritual things lately. I look back on the road I have traveled and think about the life I have led so far. I have learned to take an active role in where I am headed. For a person who used to just drift through life, I have accomplished much in a short time. I say this as a mark of experience, not a boastful thing. 

Pride is a serious obstacle when it comes to moving forward. It is the wall that many of us collide with on our journey. It gets us in trouble more often than not and it is a tool that the universe uses to bring us down to size. The flip side of pride is humility. It is difficult to walk in strides that are humble in this day and age. The world tells us to be prideful and puffed up. 

We take selfies and post them on all our social networks. We seek out the vain things of the world. These items are usually trending fads and tend to drift off into the distance soon after they are in possession. Where is the next fad or hoopla? Caught up in the spirit of the moment we often sell out our progress to higher planes of consciousness. These are stumbling blocks, not stepping stones. The latest label will never give you longevity only momentary pleasure.  

My journey around life has taught me a few serious lessons. I am never better than my fellows. I am a resident of Mother Earth like the rest of us and I understand it is my choice to be a blessing while I am here. I am to learn all I can about the human condition as I drift through my short days here. The things I have been given in the way of gifts are to be nurtured and shared, but not in a prideful way. Uplift another human being with what we have been given. This is how we sow goodness on the earth. 

There are ways to move through responsibilities that are uplifting and in the process they create a sense of accomplishment. Complaining that we have to do something just causes a thing to feel heavier. The joy of checking one more thing off the to-do list should trigger a desire to do better. Inner satisfaction is gained when we keep our minds on the duties we need to perform and a feeling of well-being comes about through this outlook. I cannot tell you how many times I have wanted to put off doing a garden chore or tending to my animals. I step into the area that needs attention and I realize what a blessing it is to be able to work with these things. The garden gives forth goodness and the animals return good feelings and comfort when they are well cared for. These are the privileges I have been given. No matter how hard a task is, go about it in a positive way. This makes the work so much easier. The job usually goes faster, too. While in the midst of a to-do list item, I have often been given an inspirational thought or an answer to a question that has bothered me. Hard work is good for the body and the soul. 

Recommended Reading

Kahlil Gibran

Excerpt:

On Work

You work that you may keep pace with the earth and the soul of the earth.
For to be idle is to become a stranger unto the seasons,
and to step out of life's procession, that marches in majesty and proud submission towards the infinite. Kindle Version on Amazon

Blowing The Dust Off An Online Journal

Hi, there. I'm returning to this, my personal column of Simple Terms. Simple terms aren't exactly simple as in only a few directions. Simple terms is simply put - a way of dealing with things that won't complicate life any further than necessary. This result comes about through a lifetime of standard human reactions and behaviors mainly mine and a few dozen others I have had to deal with in close quarters and in long lengths of time. 

I believe if you have seen a person do something more than a dozen times and it isn't necessarily the same person, the observation becomes a signal later down the road. Cause and reaction. If an egg drops on a floor it will break and splatter. (That is an easy one.) Human consequences is a complex thing. I know from experience that personal safety is a number one priority around sharp things, fire, and electricity. Some people may not always have this awareness. The circles I run in say that doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results is insanity. I wholeheartedly agree. I am slowly and one by one breaking that cycle in my life and it has left me a bit isolated, but I have a lot more spare time to do other things because of this new change.

Gone Fishing

This must be the things a psychic sees in their forecast or feelings, this human behavior. There are a few of you now that want me to explain further and I shall not. It is the tripwire that always leads me to telling you to piss off and I have something else to discuss in the meantime... make that several things.

Gone Fishing

Yesterday was Father's Day and I failed to call my father for one reason or another. I feel terrible, but I had to work later on and I found myself trying to catch up and be on time. I did see him the night before and told him I looked at all those cards in the card section but found them silly and irrelevant to our relationship. I'm a rotten kid for not stepping up to celebrate with him, but duty calls. 

I find this picture image more fitting. My dad is the reason I love fishing and the reason I picked it back up this Fall. He will be the spirit in this chair in the not too distant future. I feel that he will always be next to me wherever I go. He is aging. He is not well. My fishing trips are my way of connecting to that father I knew so long ago that had a vibrant personality and strong body. He knew things. He could tell stories and he could fix things. My Father's Day tribute several years ago included one of his automobile projects. Read  The Mechanic and the Red Head on Hubpages. on Hubpages. Time and life defeated this noble man. He now toddles along like a large, half-silly bear and it is just killing my heart to see him. I love him dearly and will always. Being around him makes me very sad as of late.

My expeditions have been to celebrate personal milestones. I camped out at Eagle Valley to enjoy my 11th sober anniversary. It was just myself and the dog. My faithful companion, Wilbur, pleads with me each and every time I approach the door. Are we going yet? His eyes ask me as I step out the door and lock it behind me, off on my way to work. He scolds me when I get home because he missed me while I was away. He is the fluffy thing beside the chair in the picture. He, too, will be performing an exit soon. I am coming to terms with these things. The simple terms are this: life happens. Death happens. It is how we choose to deal with it that makes us victorious or victim. Produce good energy and good things in the time you have allotted here. Leave a smile behind as you go. That is what my father had tried to do all of his life and he has succeeded. This is also what Wilbur has done. They are both survivors of this - life. 

Read more of my writings at www.mariaburgess.com My writings and blogs are all contained here as well as purchase links for my first book, The Essential Window Painting Guide. It is a how to guide and chronicle of how I became a window painter. I write on a variety of topics and there will be more to follow!