so that simple little saying that less is more has been on my mind as of late. i have really been thinking about balance in my life and how i need it so. taking more time to myself, for myself and working on me. i have been struggling with the lack of a spiritual feeling lately, is the only way i can describe it. so in attempts to get back on track with my physical self i have been doing yoga and pilates and it is amazing how much better i felt after one week. more centered. more balanced. so part of this process there has been a couple of trips to a sauna after whatever session of exercise i just completed. it is completely boring to sit still in a sauna with nothing to do; so i read the magazines and happened to grab a natural living issue. i am scanning a section were readers are commenting on a previous article about prayer and i see this quote from a woman and how she was delighted and surprised to see it in this publication. basically she said she has never really been a person of faith but has been finding herself praying and that is has been helping. she goes on the state that it is easy and free and what could be better than that.
i was honestly a little floored. since when is prayer easy? how in the world does it being free add any value whatsoever? i can't get it out of my mind. what a strange thing to say that prayer is easy and free. ok i do not claim to be an expert on prayer in the slightest, but easy? the only thing that i could possibly consider this phrasing to mean is that it is easy to give your mind over and easy to pray for others in need. i have never understood the people that pray for selfish things, needy things and self prayer. to me it just seems like the biggest oxymoron. there are those moments of God give me the strength to get through this; yes that is selfish prayer but for a will not a material need. so i wonder if my view of prayer is accurate? moving on to - prayer being free? i can't even begin to explain how wrong this sounded. the only thing i can possibly think that this phrasing meant was the restful state of mind that comes as a resolution to prayer, when in our culture we pay for anything to make us relax and become restful.
prayer is something that i haven't completely wrapped my head around. i have heard things like, you need to be specific for what you want and that God will answer or show you the way to what you are looking for. however, i have also heard that prayer should not be for anything selfish or personal. so something as personal and intimate as prayer seems to have rules and guidelines governing it. even in my own head i pass judgement on those people who pray for themselves; it just seems to be the opposite of what faith based religion is about in my opinion. i have never been able to bring myself to pray for selfish things. i don't know if i ever will be able. i have tried to have an open dialogue more or less, like a conversation. where i feel like the more time or concentration i have i seem to come to a resolution over time. or not. sometimes i have to let go and know i might not ever have a resolution. this topic seems to be bordering on meditation vs prayer. well whatever you call it, however you categorize it, it is a quieting of the mind that helps to bring balance. believe me it carries over into everything else.
it seems just like with anything in life, patterns can be easy to fall into and easy to fall out of. when you are taking time in prayer on a regular basis it creates a sense of even flowing balance. it seems really hard to start up again after stopping for sometime. i almost look at it like i need to apologize first for not being active in dialogue in awhile. it can be an amazing thing, when you focus on balance. how much less becomes more. less time in front of a desk oddly seems to result in more. more time in various activities seems to have less of a stressful feeling. i am telling you mastering balance in life is what makes the little we have seem like so much more. it is one of those oxymorons i love so: by doing more, balancing more it makes you want less or regret less. i don't know how else to explain it. simple things bring simple balance: less is more.
one of the things i will say is that the older i get the less of an academic i become. i am a nerd and do not deny it. but giving more of my mind over to ideas and concepts that seem to be driven by my heart and mind more than intellect. again less is more. when i don't let my mind get in the way i seem to get so much more out whatever i am doing. i remember a friend of mine one time said that if you are physical in nature your mind would be secondary and vice versa. basically what she was trying to say is that you can't be both physically strong and mentally strong at the same time. i remember thinking why are you trying to force me to say my physical tendency is stronger than my mental? what is your problem? well i was dealing with a person who clearly thought she was more mentally strong or smarter than others (well me - and i use the term friend lightly). but i think the two go hand in hand. yes, the entire first part of my life was spent in a gym, probably to excess but it brought on a lot of mental strength i would probably not have developed otherwise.
in my opinion, being mentally strong and physically strong need to be close to equal or there is an imbalance. working to bring the two together is what creates balance; a needed balance. this form of balance between mind and body is so important and honestly i think will be a life long journey for me. i know i will be a life long leaner and i know i will be a life long physical learner. in the middle of these, is a spiritual balance or element that is also present. i think the two are what create the spiritual. honestly i think the biggest thing is focusing on your own growth and where you stand in your own balance.
i could go on and on; it is a topic that can be talked about in great detail from several viewpoints. but it keeping with less is more. that is all for now.
i was honestly a little floored. since when is prayer easy? how in the world does it being free add any value whatsoever? i can't get it out of my mind. what a strange thing to say that prayer is easy and free. ok i do not claim to be an expert on prayer in the slightest, but easy? the only thing that i could possibly consider this phrasing to mean is that it is easy to give your mind over and easy to pray for others in need. i have never understood the people that pray for selfish things, needy things and self prayer. to me it just seems like the biggest oxymoron. there are those moments of God give me the strength to get through this; yes that is selfish prayer but for a will not a material need. so i wonder if my view of prayer is accurate? moving on to - prayer being free? i can't even begin to explain how wrong this sounded. the only thing i can possibly think that this phrasing meant was the restful state of mind that comes as a resolution to prayer, when in our culture we pay for anything to make us relax and become restful.
prayer is something that i haven't completely wrapped my head around. i have heard things like, you need to be specific for what you want and that God will answer or show you the way to what you are looking for. however, i have also heard that prayer should not be for anything selfish or personal. so something as personal and intimate as prayer seems to have rules and guidelines governing it. even in my own head i pass judgement on those people who pray for themselves; it just seems to be the opposite of what faith based religion is about in my opinion. i have never been able to bring myself to pray for selfish things. i don't know if i ever will be able. i have tried to have an open dialogue more or less, like a conversation. where i feel like the more time or concentration i have i seem to come to a resolution over time. or not. sometimes i have to let go and know i might not ever have a resolution. this topic seems to be bordering on meditation vs prayer. well whatever you call it, however you categorize it, it is a quieting of the mind that helps to bring balance. believe me it carries over into everything else.
it seems just like with anything in life, patterns can be easy to fall into and easy to fall out of. when you are taking time in prayer on a regular basis it creates a sense of even flowing balance. it seems really hard to start up again after stopping for sometime. i almost look at it like i need to apologize first for not being active in dialogue in awhile. it can be an amazing thing, when you focus on balance. how much less becomes more. less time in front of a desk oddly seems to result in more. more time in various activities seems to have less of a stressful feeling. i am telling you mastering balance in life is what makes the little we have seem like so much more. it is one of those oxymorons i love so: by doing more, balancing more it makes you want less or regret less. i don't know how else to explain it. simple things bring simple balance: less is more.
one of the things i will say is that the older i get the less of an academic i become. i am a nerd and do not deny it. but giving more of my mind over to ideas and concepts that seem to be driven by my heart and mind more than intellect. again less is more. when i don't let my mind get in the way i seem to get so much more out whatever i am doing. i remember a friend of mine one time said that if you are physical in nature your mind would be secondary and vice versa. basically what she was trying to say is that you can't be both physically strong and mentally strong at the same time. i remember thinking why are you trying to force me to say my physical tendency is stronger than my mental? what is your problem? well i was dealing with a person who clearly thought she was more mentally strong or smarter than others (well me - and i use the term friend lightly). but i think the two go hand in hand. yes, the entire first part of my life was spent in a gym, probably to excess but it brought on a lot of mental strength i would probably not have developed otherwise.
in my opinion, being mentally strong and physically strong need to be close to equal or there is an imbalance. working to bring the two together is what creates balance; a needed balance. this form of balance between mind and body is so important and honestly i think will be a life long journey for me. i know i will be a life long leaner and i know i will be a life long physical learner. in the middle of these, is a spiritual balance or element that is also present. i think the two are what create the spiritual. honestly i think the biggest thing is focusing on your own growth and where you stand in your own balance.
i could go on and on; it is a topic that can be talked about in great detail from several viewpoints. but it keeping with less is more. that is all for now.
