Simply Complex

Only recently--that would be within the past 30 minutes--have I realized how much I love complexity despite my desire for simplicity.  It struck me as I stalled on an opening for a chapter I am writing on the latter.  Boy, does that drip with irony!  I believe that simplicity is a virtue: things neatly put away, owning only what I need, doing things mindfully.  It is refreshing to go through my day fully present, which also means I'm available to others in more civil ways.

But then I look at my interests.  They are anything but simple.  I much prefer Mahler over Hayden because his music is quirky.  I'll take Indian food with its rich mixture of spices over a burger and fries any day.  Rather than formulaic romance novels, I prefer reading adventures in science and philosophy.  Then there's how I make decisions.  Thoughts ricochet between my right and left brains.  How does this feel vs is this logical? Clearly this is a case of too much information.

More important is what does simplicity mean for others?  Is there a universal meaning for that word? We all know people who stock up because they want to live with more economic simplicity.  We can make our lives complicated trying to achieve temporal simplicity (this is why I say multitasking is not a virtue).  We may want to be environmentally simple, but when shopping, do we buy the cage free eggs in the plastic carton or the organic eggs in the cardboard carton?  Suddenly, simplicity is not so simple!

Maybe it comes down to this:  Simplicity is sanity.  If we can do what we need to do, be as we need to be, use our time, energy, and money in ways that satisfy our values at a particular moment, maybe this is as simple as it gets.  And what are our values?  Money in the bank?  Community activism?  Caring for loved ones?  When we clear out the superfluous--and your definition of that will be different from mine--our values direct our lives.  We have a plainer path to walk upon.  If we pursue the complex--determining the best medical procedure for an illness, writing a play, crafting an economic policy--we do so with more sanity when we cut a swath through our mental space at least.  Complexity is wonderful sometimes.  But we need openness for the elements to float through, connect, disengage, reassemble until the right combination of knowledge, inspiration, and actions reveals itself in a perfect whole.  When I clear my mind of fears and distractions, I function much better in the world.  When my values are reflected in my outer world, I feel congruent. And now I just had a brain storm.  Excuse me while I tap out the next chapter of my book.  Thanks for listening to me.  It helped a lot!

Pax tecum.

Expansion and Contraction

How many of you have attended a conference?  You come back feeling inspired with new ideas.  Then back into the workplace you go, only to feel the air slip out of your balloon.  Or perhaps you had a remarkable breakthrough in a therapy session.  An issue which had been dogging you for years has surfaced.  You see how it plays into your life.  You walk out of the office feeling you've conquered it once and for all...only to have your button pushed again by a random encounter.  Maybe it was a meditation in which you really transcended your particular suffering, full of love for humankind, only to awaken the next morning to your neighbor's blaring radio and a mind full of expletives.  Why does this happen?  Why can't we seem to get it right once and for all?


Expansion and contraction, my friends.  Both states are real in and of themselves.  But we do experience both of them temporarily throughout our hour, day, lifetime.  Since I'm a Reiki practitioner, I use "energyspeak."  We are energy.  Energy surrounds us, emanates from us, permeates us.  Indeed we are made of energy.   When we become inspired, we expand.  As outer and inner forces come to bear on us, either in the form of illness, weather or past memories, bad habits, our energy contracts.  It is to be expected, even if we do dread falling off the mountain yet again!

But here's the good news.  We never contract to our original size.  Each inspiration stretches us a little further; each set back contracts us a little less.  Perhaps without realizing it, we are growing.  We are changing.  And that in turn affects others.


I have worked in some pretty oppressive places.  Places where negativity abounds.  It is extremely difficult to break out of that gravity and rise above it.  I regularly dwelt in that tar pit myself!  It is even harder to overcome it alone.  So consider the plight of people living in a community like that.  An energetic black cloud holds everyone in thrall.  It may not be that individuals are not trying hard enough to get out of their situation.  What they really need is critical mass to fortify each others' energy in order to overcome together that which holds them captive.


For those of us fortunate enough to live in more buoyant places, there seems a greater awareness for self-improvement, an awareness of community, an awareness of a greater good, an awareness of what is good.  Let us accept expansion and contraction knowing it is part of the human experience, knowing it gives us compassion for others.  Let us also reach out to those who can fortify us like a band of brothers who also strive for inspiration.  In turn let us reach out to those who need fortifying, for how else can they grow in capacity?  Share your expansion.  But as the airline staff will tell you, be sure to put your oxygen mask on first!  Negativity is very slow energy, and it can easily pull you down and suck you dry.  It really does take more effort to maintain positive energy which vibrates very fast.  Help those in need when and where you can.  But always be sure to replenish yourself lest you become depleted.  It helps no one to hurt yourself in service to others.  Know when you need some expansion.  And reach out for it as often as you can.  We will all be better off for it!