I absolutely love this. And, I guess it stuck with me. Because I found myself applying this perspective to my so-called problems. If you have four minutes now or after reading this post, watch it. You'll be so glad you did.
I'll summarize and interpret some of the points that sunk into my soul here:
- We are all part of the same energetic source, with our own individual strand of energy inside us which lets us experience everything, and also allows us to be part of the collective whole and an individual personality at the same time. (I love this so freaking much).
- We've lived before, and will again, because that's what it is - what we are - individual experiences of the full ONEness of everything. As time is a relative concept, and not really linear at all, we might come back next time in what we think of as the past, or the present, or the future.
- Since we are each a light strand of the Great Light, everyone else is us too in that same way.
These three ideas were with me. Then, last night, they took me to a further point. No doubt I've lived before in a less ideal life circumstance. Maybe I lived in a country with less food, resources, or violence. Maybe I was sick, or in pain, or injured. Maybe I died young or lost a loved one early. Doubtless some incarnation of me had experiences like this. They are too common throughout history for me to not to have lived them.
I thought about this. And I thought about my life now.
I'm living in a really nice house, in a very nice neighborhood near a park, good schools, and good people. There is plentiful food, running water, electricity, and a car for my use. My husband has a good job, I love my work, and our four kids are healthy and intelligent.
In light of all of the possible lifetimes I could have been living in right now, this one is on the fantastic side.
At this point, a big sigh of relief and gratitude came over me.
Last night, my husband and I had been discussing money allocations - you know, paying bills - the dreaded and often stressful juggle that happens to many families like us. I saw my husband's frown, the one he's been wearing all too often lately. The one that says that besides this, he's thinking about stresses at work, deadlines, issues, and the things that the person in charge (him) has to solve. I felt the weight of his worry.
And then I remembered this video.
And, suddenly, I couldn't worry about anything. All I can do is to be so freaking grateful for my problems right now. Because, this lifetime is a relief. It's a wonderful blessing. It's fantastic.
I'm feeling different now. Like everything is vibrating with a reason to be grateful. I can't even go into the bathroom without being grateful for flush toilets and toilet paper. I can't look at my kids without being amazed that they are so perfect in every way (even when they're messing up, yelling at each other, or being generally loud). I can't look at the fruit on the counter, the cushions on the couch, the shoes carelessly tossed on the kitchen floor, without just being grateful that I have them.
And every time I see a stranger, I see something different now- I see a light inside their eyes. Beyond our differences in appearance, I feel a strange recognition. Because we're all living this experience.
And now, my experience is illuminated. It's shining and shimmering with gratitude, with love, and with knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that I've got to enjoy every second of this blessed life.