..closer to there

"I may not be there yet, but I'm closer than I was yesterday."

I read this quote today and understand that one shouldn't focus only on the destination or end goal (like that target weight), but notice how much we have changed from yesterday, a week or a month ago.

This also led me to think of one of my life goals (which means i have this entire life to practice getting it right, phew!!!). The goal is 'Being Centered'. What
'Being centered' means is difficult to explain, without making it sound like a mumbo-jumbo metaphysical thing. In some terms, it means to try and be in the moment without judgements. Here's an article which tries to explain it (a little better).

"Being centered means to be balanced in this instant one hundred percent, taking in information without clouding it with expectations or fear. Just taking in information and making creative, intuitive decisions informed by our “CENTER,” our true intent, our original self." <More>

I came to think about this experience called 'being centered' when i happened to spend a couple of hours with the three year old daughter of my friends.While playing a game such as Hide n Seek or in reading her story books, i could feel the uncontrollable urge to make her do what I THINK she should be doing. It was challenging to let her do stuff, the way she wants to. And it was more tough to make myself in tune with how she thinks we should be doing the activity. This reminded me of an interesting study in the paper which suggests how we stifle the child's creativity by controlling every act, 'Bossy moms tend to limit kids’ creativity'. Not only does it make the child not be imaginative as he or she natually is, it is also tiring for us to try and control every act (isn't it).

This constant tussle between my mind and my soul was tougher to manage than i imagined. I had to use all my inner being's strength to stop myself from pushing her to do and say things as 'they should be'. And in those moments where my soul won over my mind, i experienced  what I choose to relate as 'Dhyana or Zen'. 

To let another person, including a child to be as he or she is and to be one with them, is a quality i realize i possess, but didn't give it much thought till now. I believe we all have it within us in different levels and we can hone it as life goes on. I do realize this so called 'Zen' existed only in a few moments, but i believe that recognization itself is a huge step.  Later, it only becomes a matter of practicing it with everyone we interact. It may work well with some people and with some others, i assure you it will be a struggle. But thats ok. Like i said, a life goal means that there is your entire life to work on yourself. However, do relish in the understanding that from yesterday it has taken you....