Breathing in Inspiration

To inspire. To inhale. To breathe in life, presence, peace.Inspiration, in the form of creative inspiration, the itch to write, paint, draw, sketch, sculpt, sing, dance, practice meditation, CREATE, comes and goes. Wouldn't it be too exhausting if we were constantly inspired? Constant happiness and pleasure and perfection, building a soft nest around ourselves to ensure this, only leads to immaturity and stagnation.Life consists of blacks, whites, grays, and the whole spectrum of colors from maroon to lavender and beyond. Life consists of inhales and exhales. Of times of inspiration, productivity, expression, creation and times of rest, rejuvenation, retreat and hibernation.Life without problems would be boring and would inhibit growth. Yet, most Westerners in the middle class or above, have been culturally conditioned to avoid problems, to kill pain. A vast array of pills for countless ailments are available to kill pains of all kinds. Entire industries have been built around our aversion to pain, military-industrial, pharmaceutical, medical, insurance, retail, to name a few.What would allowing our pain to be here look like?What would changing our relationship to pain sound like?What would embracing and accepting our pain taste like?What would sitting with, inviting in and, eventually, truly letting go of the pain feel like?The peace revolution that we each individually and collectively need, and that our Mother Earth so desperately needs, is a revolution that begins within. In stillness, in silence, in listening, in breathing, in accepting, in holding, in releasing. In finding inner peace, we are empowered to give our lives to service, to the benefit of others, to the highest benefit of all beings without exception.Om Mani Padme HumMay the lotus blossom at our heart continue to bloom and flower.