Constant Pursuit or . . . ?

I appreciate both of these recent “Word for the Day” quotes from Grateful Living:

Grateful living is important in the world because in our constant pursuit of more and better we can easily lose sight of the riches that lay right in front of us and within us.

Guri Mehta

Through me course wide rivers and in me rise tall mountains. And beyond the thickets of my agitation and confusion there stretch the wide plains of my peace and surrender. All landscapes are within me. And there is room for everything.

Etty Hillesum

Constant pursuit. Sounds exhausting and futile. If we are pursuing more material goods, more money, more recognition and status, it is a rabbit hole that never leads anywhere but “still not there.” More and better just becomes more and better on different levels. Exhausting and futile.

And so much is missed along the way, as the constant pursuit swallows up the hours of a day, a week, a month, a life. We will definitely find ourselves in the thickets of our own agitation and confusion, but we may fail to acknowledge the real reasons for our muddled, misguided state of existence. Lost in the pursuit.

Peace and surrender. These sound like more gentle pursuits. States of mind, heart, and soul that we arrive at with inner travels. A more pleasant journey, rather than a frenetic chase. Peace and surrender require effort to attain, but it is the kind of work that tends to energize us rather than wear us down and out. And we won’t need storage units for more of this kind of stuff. “There is room for everything.”

This candle is part of our holiday decorations this season, and a warm reminder to me to slow down and let the light guide. My light within. Your light within. If we see each other on the more peaceful path, we can share our lights with one another and grow some brighter hope. Onward!