THE NEXT STEP TO HEALTH

“The deeper the cry, the more clear the choice.”
~ Anonymous

I have a friend who has called into question whom he should love. This opened a field of complexities, and life quickly became an endless consideration of possibilities and allegiances.

But beneath the endless inventories, his soul was calling out form way inside, and through his pain, my friend kept hearing this far-off cry surface at the oddest times. Soon, he realized this cry was, indeed, much deeper than “Who?” His very soul was begging to feel. This seemed more serious, more urgent, more filled with terror than choice between one woman and another.

As he began to struggle with facing himself, my friend began to realize that all the decisions to be made about who and where and when were really heartfelt distractions from a deeper cry. Underneath all the painful ambiguities and assessments, his very soul was drowning, sinking out of reach of the feel of life. Once hearing the deeper cry within himself, his choice became extremely basic and very straightforward: How do I regain my wonder at being alive? What must I do to keep my heart form sinking?

Time and again, we are shown by the quiet courage of others that if we can let the deeper cry through, the next step to health will come plainly into view.

~ Center yourself and bring to mind a complex decision that needs to be made.

~ Breathe slowly and try to relax your spirit beneath the decision to be made.

~ Breathe cleanly and try to let the deeper cry through.

~ Feel your basic life position way inside and admit - that is, accept and let in - what you need to be well.

The Book of Awakening

~ Mark Nepo