Where have you chosen to deepen your experience of life this year?

To begin the year, I ordered some 10 books from my ever growing list of gems I want to read.

I skimmed through them lovingly and longingly when they arrived, each of them luring me in.

Of course, I can’t read them all at the same time. It has to be one by one.

But what will I start with?

 

As I was contemplating this decision,

I thought of all the wonderful books out there that I’m yet to discover.

Some, I’ll never know. They’ll remain hidden from me.

Others, I’ll know, but still never read them…because my time here is limited.

Imagine all those beautiful stories, turn-of-phrases and ideas

that we’ll never know, or have the chance to discover!

 

Then I thought of my bucket list, and all the places I’d love to visit, but may never do.

Then I thought of all the many more beautiful and wonderful places out there,

that I still don’t know about...and whose breathtaking-magic I’ll never know.

Imagine of all the parts of this place we call earth, that we’ll never see or step on...

Imagine all the billions of people we’ll never meet or know...

Imagine all the wonderful art and architecture we’ll never see...

Imagine all the rivers we’ll never cross and all the hills we’ll never climb...

Imagine all the streets and alleys we’ll never walk on…

Imagine all the shops and cafes we’ll never step in…

Imagine all the beautiful sites and sceneries we’ll never see, or even know that they exist.

 

We love gardening and landscaping.

And, of all the beautiful plants and flowers that populate this revolving mass we call earth,

We’ll see, know and tend to only a tiny, insignificant, fraction 

of the billions that exist here with us, at this period in time.

 

Have you ever thought of all the things and places and people

you don’t know and will never know, or get to experience?

Even considering the few things and places and people that surround us,

How much can we really say we know about them?

Our children? Our spouse? Our village? Our politics?

How deep is our experience of them?

Do we really know anything we’ll enough?

Have we really experienced anything deep enough?

 

Now think of the all the moneyed and powerful people you know,

Some with the ability to influence and shape global events…

Guess what? They too have to leave large pieces on the table, 

uneaten, undiscovered and unexperienced.

 

We began the year with this call.

But what does it mean in practice, to experience things? 

Does it mean going full steam ahead, as the dominant culture tells us,

Or, does it mean slowing down our pace? 

What will give us better returns? What will help us have a fuller experience of life? 

 

This week’s Sunday Reflection likens life to supermarket,

with everything we can possibly desire.

It’s a standing invitation to treat ourselves to whatever we like.

But no…we can’t have it all.

Limited time and resources means we can only choose a paltry few,  

Meaning that our life’s experience – the whole length, height and breadth of it –

will be limited to these few things, places and people!

Meaning then that our focus should always be on deepening the experience 

of what’s around us. 

In the end, what matters is not the number of books I read, 

But those that I enjoy and move me into higher levels of consciousness and wisdom. 

In the end, what matters is not the number of places I visit or see,

But what I allow those places to teach me. 

It’s the new perspectives I gather about them and the people I find there – 

the culture of the place. 

In the end, what matters is not the variety of plants and flowers in my garden,

But how deeply I allow myself to savour and soak in their unceasing beauty and splendor.

 

To use Clinton-speak, it’s the depth, stupid!

 

And how do we experience depth in things, places and people?  

By slowing down, my dear.  

Only then are we able to notice and appreciate what’s around us.

Only then are we able to know and bond with our partners and children.

Only then are we able to enjoy delicious and healthy food.

Only then are we able to admire the flowers, the art, the architecture,

And all the beauty swimming, unceasingly, around us.

Only then are we able to ‘see’ and ‘feel’ deeply.

Only then do we start to appreciate this wonder and miracle we call life.

 

When our young ones were little, going to the supermarket with them was a nightmare,

Because they could pick anything and everything they fancied.

To avoid chaos and tantrums, we developed a practice where we’d agree, in advance,

That they could, each, pick only one item (no junk food), within a certain price range.

And it worked marvelously.

It’s always a sight to behold, to watch them undergo the internal struggle

required to decide what to take, and what to leave behind, 

but that is exactly what life is about.

Ultimately, they decide on one item to buy.

And, ultimately, we’ll all have to do the same – 

decide on a few things we consider important, and let go all the rest, 

however shiny and harrowed.

Only by focusing on a few important things 

will we manage to have a deeper and fuller experience of life. 

 

So, where have you chosen to deepen your experience of life this year?