Transition

Currently I’m reading a couple of books that seem, in part, to mirror my life circumstances.

The first I’m actually revisiting. I read it shortly after it came out, during a difficult period for me in 1998. It’s by Pema Chödrön and called When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times. The second is a newly-released book by Eugene O’Kelly entitled Chasing Daylight: How My Forthcoming Death Transformed My Life.

Given that I’m in a period of major transition now, and have been for quite some time, these selections seem particularly appropriate. Since I’ve picked these two up in the last few days, I’m feeling a tad more peaceful.

With the Chödrön book particularly, there is pearl after pearl. I’m keeping my highlighter handy as I go. In just the second chapter, I have rediscovered the words

“Life is a good teacher and a good friend. Things are always in transition…[t]o stay with that shakiness—to stay with a broken heart, with a rumbling stomach, with the feeling of hopelessness and wanting to get revenge—that is the path of true awakening. Sticking with that uncertainty, getting the knack of relaxing in the midst of chaos, learning not to panic—this is the spiritual path.” (Pema Chödrön, When Things Fall Apart, p. 10)