We need to continue to practice hope and look for joy.
I invite you to pause and embrace being human with me as we read one of my favorite gems together.
The Guest House by Rumi
This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they're a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.
The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.
Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.
Mindfulness practitioners often use The Guest House, a poem by 13th century poet Rumi, to transform everyday moments into something special.
Indeed, it is important to welcome all feelings that arise, including those we would rather avoid.
Like pain, fear is the common predecessor to anger; fear of loss, of hurt, of embarrassment, of weakness, of not knowing, of shame.
A fearful situation turns into anger when we cannot admit we are afraid. As the poet Rumi writes, "Fear is the cheapest room in the house. I'd rather see you in better living conditions."
Indeed, without insight, we are doomed to live our lives in this cheap room.
We can train our minds to live with mindfulness, to meet fear and pain with wisdom instead of with the habit of anger.
When we face our own pain, we will no longer blame it on others.
Everything has a purpose, including our fears and doubts; they just have to be thought of correctly.
Telling someone who is hurting to be positive is well-intentioned, but it backfires! Positivity needn't be toxic. Denying negative emotions takes its own toll, according to social scientists.
We need to encourage people to express a range of feelings. When someone expresses their emotions, listen, then acknowledge their feelings, he or she will build resiliency and relationships.
The key to manage pain is to allow the pain cycle to complete. Emotions want to be travellers, not residents. They want to move on. We should let them!
Rumi's The Guest House speaks of welcoming all emotions who knock on our doors. Pause, acknowledge, welcome, embrace, reflect, and on and on...
We need to be a house of love and acceptance and welcome all our emotions to flow through us.
This poem reminds me always to sit and be with my own emotions.
Be grateful for whoever comes, because each has been sent as a guide.
That is the wisdom generated through awareness. We don't need to suppress our emotions. We need to allow them space to enter and exit.
My intention for today is to be present to whatever crosses my path; to invite them all in, like Rumi did in his poem.
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