We all have our own unique scars. Our own messes, stresses and sources of suffering.
And we all turn to healers we can trust to put us back together when we need them most.
I love the story of the Avalokiteśvara, the Bodhisattva with 1000 arms.
She vows never to rest, until she ends all suffering, for all people.
She’s a very busy girl.
After all, anywhere there are people in need……
Avalokiteśvara shows up to help.
What I love so much about Avalokiteśvara’s story is that she has a different tool in every hand.
Each arm is a unique instrument of hope – help – healing and transformation.
It’s also easy to write all of this stuff off as impractical, new age nonsense & spiritual sounding silliness.
After all……I’m fairly confident no one reading this has 1000 arms 🙂
And It’s fairly easy to think – hey –
“my life is a mess – I’m busy, already overwhelmed and under-appreciated- how many other people can I possibly teach, reach, or transform, when my own plate is so incredibly full? ”
But what if our role is to simply embrace the arms we’ve been assigned – and take our unique gifts out into the world with passion, purpose and power?
A few years ago, I participated in a silent meditation retreat.
For 10 days – my mind refused to stay still – it leaped, and lurched and stumbled and fumbled it’s way through endless hours of not wanting to look closely at my own life – my own mistakes – mis-steps – messes, stresses, and the many different flavors of suffering I visited on myself, and others I love.
One day, I looked around the other bright and shiny souls in the room – all of us different ages, incomes, sizes, sexes, and backgrounds – and yet – with our eyes closed – fiercely focused – facing invisible dramas – disappointments, failures, foibles and frailties that were each of ours to face alone – we were all warriors tethered together by a common enemy – and a similar goal.
To wake up – to lighten up – and to show up for those who needed us most.
Life offers us unlimited opportunities to come alive -and come into our own.
To uplift, to inspire, to encourage and to alleviate the pain of those who land in our lives.
We’re all different.
Our strengths are different – our gifts are different and our ability to impact and inspire others changes from person to person, and reflects our own unique life circumstances.
And your mess, can become your message.
I like to think as life itself as the BIG Bodhisattva 🙂
And each of us – you, me, and everyone else – we’re all just individual arms in this endless ocean of connection, compassion and community.
So whatever you do –
Do You.
It’s the only job you’re perfectly suited to do better than anyone else.
And maybe, that’s what the universe wants to do UNIQUELY, through you.
Trust in that, and the tools you need to do your work, will always appear.
If you are so inclined, I’d like to invite you to share your favorite healing story with our community.
We want to share as many diverse, unique, bold, beautiful and original stories of how those of you who are called to show up in the lives of strangers and offer great gifts of help and hope – how you do it, why you do it, what it feels like, and when you KNOW, you’re doing it best.
If you feel called or compelled to share, we’d love to hear from you.
And my guess is, many of those who would benefit most from your talents, your gifts, your grace and your grit….would love to hear from you, too.
Alone we can change a neighborhood. Together we can change the world.
Ian
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