I Do It Myself - Part 5 on Faith Transition -

Scott and I had dinner last night with some friends. Transitions were a big part of our conversation. Transitioning from parents to empty-nesters to no-longer-needed. Transitioning from being hands-on parents to hands-off parents. Transitioning from youth and health to aging and poor health. Transitioning from being defined by a faith tradition to defining that for ourselves. 

We decided the reality is this - we're not all heart-shaped sugar cookies. We don't all want to be so. We are individuals with our own needs, wants, desires, strengths, weaknesses. And at the end of the day, if we've given our best, or attempted to do so, or reaffirmed that tomorrow we'll try harder, that's it. This is all that's required; looking within and being able to assess us. "I done my best." 

And I'll end my tirade with these words from Leo Babuata. I have found peace in Zennism, Buddhism, in staying in the here and now. And this compliments my form of Mormonism quite nicely. After all, aren't we all just wanting some validation, even when it comes from within? 

Wanting Someone [Something, Including Religion] Else to Fulfill Our Lives

I have a friend who is lonely, who has such a good heart and desperately wants to find a partner who appreciates that goodness, to share a life with.

[There is a] desire for a deep connection, this hope that another person will just get us . . . and merge with them, we’d be fulfilled.

What if we tossed that idea out on its head? What if everything we need for happiness and fulfillment is within us? What if all the requirements for fulfillment were in this very moment, not in some imagined ideal future? . . . The fulfillment that we get in life ends up (mostly) not coming from the other person, but from ourselves.

What would it be like if we let go of this fantasy . . . and instead focused on finding fulfillment in the here and now, within ourselves?

Where We Get Fulfillment

Another person isn’t going to fulfill us — at best, they’ll make us feel better about ourselves, and listen to us. The listening part is great, but we can get that from friends or family as well. The feeling better about ourselves is a function we can fulfill on our own as well. I’m not saying a partner is useless, but I am saying that a partner isn’t needed for fulfillment.

So how can we fulfill ourselves, by ourselves?

Fulfillment comes from something deeper — finding meaning in life, finding appreciation for the fleeting beauty of every moment, being in service of others, loving. . . . 

We can find meaning by searching within ourselves and in the world around us. We can start to appreciate the impermanence and joyful moments around us all the time. We can be in service of others in our community. We can love anyone, from those already in our lives (even if they don’t know we’re doing it) to strangers on the street, to all living beings.

Fulfillment From Within

What if we could do all these things just sitting here, doing nothing? What if this very moment contained all we need for fulfillment?

Try looking within:

• Stop and be still. Sit and do nothing, finding stillness and just noticing the moment.
• Notice your body, your breath, emotions that happen in your body (like a tightness in your chest, or a warmth in your heart area), your thoughts.
• See that there is constant change within you, and a loving goodness as well.
• Fall in love with all that you see, from the emotions and thoughts to the body and breath, from the impermanence to the underlying goodness.
• Reflect on a desire to be in service of yourself, and others.
• Cultivate a love for yourself and all others by radiating a wish for everyone, including yourself, to be free of suffering, to be happy, to find joy.
• Reflect on your innate connection to others — reflect on how others support your life, how the food that nourishes you is brought to you by thousands of others, how you’ve been created into the person you are because of the influences of every person you’ve met and connected with. This web of connections is how you are always a part of everything and everyone around you, a deep connection that is ever-changing and everlasting.
• Reflect on your surroundings and in the constant change and beauty that is in every single thing, in the ocean of matter and energy that you are a part of.

These and more are always available, right now and in every moment, in you and all around you. This practice can bring fulfillment, and nothing is required but attention, appreciation, gratitude and love. You have that in you.