Picture this:"In the spiritual path, joy and suffering follow one another like two feet, and you come to a point of not minding which 'foot' is on the ground. You realize, on the contrary, that it is extremely uncomfortable hopping all the time on the joy foot."
John G. Bennett, 1897-1974 British Author, Scientist and Mathematician
This quote comes to me by way of Inspiration Peak where I often find much which is uplifting. Bennett's statement reminds me of a great piece someone sent me a few years back about how our children learn. The gist was that our children cannot truly learn to be kind without being at some point unkind, cannot learn happiness without experiencing sadness and the like. Ying and Yang. What a great reminder. 
Has anyone else experienced just how much more beautiful Fall leaves are after your eyes have been looking down, how much more sweet and crisp the autumn air feels against our skin after crawling out from under a blanket curled up in our beds? A date with your son the budding photographer, a hike with a view, gathering chestnuts with 1st & 2nd graders, sharing a picnic lunch under a tree with 3 & 4 year olds -- all made sweeter for the senses by a few days of being down.
Would any of us choose a bee sting or a preschool temper tantrum - probably not. But if we can see them in context and remember the ebb and flow of our days, an occasional bump in the road is well worth the price of joy. Someone with better brain power could probably link this to the concepts of The Great Turning... concepts I hope to return too soon. But for now, just enjoy.
Would any of us choose a bee sting or a preschool temper tantrum - probably not. But if we can see them in context and remember the ebb and flow of our days, an occasional bump in the road is well worth the price of joy. Someone with better brain power could probably link this to the concepts of The Great Turning... concepts I hope to return too soon. But for now, just enjoy.
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