Spirituality
Living
Our Spirituality
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“Today
is the first day of the rest of your life.” How many times
have we heard that phrase? What does it mean? Does it have any
validity? How does it apply to me?
This
phrase has often been given out when someone is working with addictions,
trauma, and abuse. It has been used to the point that many of
us hear it, recognize it, say it is another cliché, and
then ignore it without considering its meaning or application.
When
we look at the meaning of the phrase, we can look at the meaning
of its components. Today is the moment that we exist in, experiencing,
interacting and living right now. The past is the sum of our experiences
we have had to this point in time. The future is where our experiences
are planned to unfold. Today is the moment of understanding our
experiences and acting on our knowledge.
First
is that we are number one in our own life. First is a beginning.
When we are first we have created our own path and that we are
the leader on that path because we are first. When we are first
we get to make our own choices because we are the leader for our
path.
Day
is the unit of time that we have created to organize the past,
present and future. We have organized the days into 7 units so
that it is easier for us to plan what we are going to do in the
future. Day can be any one of the 7 days. First day reminds us
that every day is a new unit of opportunity for us to make our
choices based on being the leader of our own path.
Rest
as a noun means the balance, the remainder. Rest as a verb means
to relax, to be at ease, to take it easy, to smell the roses.
Life
means our existence. Often we think of this to mean only the time
we spend in our physical body. Life means our existence as a spirit
- eternal and infinite.
When
we look at the meaning of the phrase as a whole we can reword
it to better understand its meaning. This moment is the beginning
of the opportunity for us to choose to be the leader of our path
and our experiences, at ease and relaxed, enjoying our eternal
existence.
The
phrase can have validity if we choose to accept that we have the
ability to grow, to develop, to learn from our past; if we choose
to accept that we have the ability to apply our past and to plan,
to develop, to grow for our future; and if we choose to accept
that right now is when we make our choices and put them into action.
How
does this phrase apply to me? This phrase applies to me when I
live my spirituality. I live my spirituality when I treat each
moment as an expression of my complete eternal being. Our spiritual
beliefs are not something to be used and applied only when it
is convenient or when we are in crisis and we need help. When
I live my spirituality I make my choices coming out of my past,
planning for my future, taking action today.
“Today
is the first day of the rest of my life.”
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