Lessons in life

1. Nothing in life is free. Every choice, every path we take, we pay a price for it.
2. People are scared to show their fears . Self preservation at times drives us to lie not only to others but also to ourselves.
3.Nothing stays forever - change is perpetual and when we accept it, we learn to enjoy the ride.
4. We are all equipped with a self-destruct button. Use it fearlessly to reinvent yourself. Change demands adaptation.
5. Consider every day to  be your last - meditate on your mortality - makes it easier to set your priorities.
6. We see others as we are- so next time look deep in before you find faults in others.
7. Happiness is a choice - we choose and although at times we might let outside factors ruffle our feathers, only we are responsible for our happiness
8. You can choose to stay safe and contended or choose to live life. Living demands courage and resilience, staying alive is easier.
9.Take risks - calculated risks - risks in love, in your career. Be bold. Step out of the comfort zone. Be prepared to rise after a fall.
10. You will be disappointed,, betrayed, heartbroken, or feel simply let down . Cry, be angry and let it go. If  you can keep your heart kind and soft as you grow older, you are a winner.

In transition.

There is something fascinating about transience. Sitting on my deck watching the blue sky being overpowered by the darkness, I discover freedom in surrendering. Being a rebel by nature, I like to question order in life. I don't want to  be boxed in, to give up on my right to change mind, and to question all that is supposed to be right.  The problem is, this results in conflict - in thoughts, in my own quest to forcibly change my perception of living. In short, my mind is a constant battlefield, yes even in my dreams. 

Yet a walk in the woods, watching the sun set, or just listening to the birds converse happily, seem like a lullaby to the tired mind. The realization that my existence is temporary and uncertain, puts things in the right perspective. Watch the grass grow, even when you have people walking over it, watch the claws of trees hanging on tight to life, or just how the dead can transform into  new life and you find motivation to move forward. 

Yet the most profound is how there is this balance of resistance and letting go. If the trees didn't resist every storm, there would be none standing, or if the rocks didn't resist the flowing water, there would be no music to play. But when there is the need to give in, they just do so without question. I am in constant resistance, as like  most of us living in the modern life isolated by other living elements in our day to day life. We are taught to be warriors, to fight, to never give up, never give in - which is all great but can be tiring. We need a break - a break from our beliefs, from our opinions, from our expectations. We need to take a sojourn from time to time - not physically but also mentally. 

I need to go into the woods, need to watch the stars shyly show themselves up - safe in the shadows of darkness, need to feel the breeze, to smell the flowers, to hear the birds, the water flow, to just reaffirm my belief that I don't control everything . To reassure that change is fine, and no change is also fine, to just breathe and be me - no work in progress, no improved me - just me.