What Really Matters?

"Be content with what you have.

Rejoice in the Way things are.

When you realize that nothings lacking,

the whole world belongs to you."

Tao Te Ching

As we move through the Coronavirus Pandemic, and the growing sense of uncertainty that has come with it, it can be a good time to focus on what really matters to us right Now. As we go through the changes that this time is bringing to all of us, there can be a feeling that what mattered even 2 months ago no longer has the importance or meaning that it once did. With no future to project, we are left with where we are, and the realization that our priorities may be changing as quickly as the circumstances around us. As the distractions that may have had us hypnotized fade into the background, we can find ourselves looking for a stability that is not based on the changing scenery of our life, but on a deep foundation that is rooted in the inner landscape of our own Being.

As many of us have been given the luxury of slowing down and really focusing on what is here and Now, we may have also noticed those aspects of our life that once seemed so important, now seem trivial compared to what is happening collectively, and individually in our lives. For instance, perhaps we have been carrying a grievance towards someone who we feel hurt us in the past, or excessively worried about some aspect of our lives that no longer has any meaning in the bigger picture that is unfolding around us. Now we have the opportunity to focus our awareness on what really matters, and really appreciate those aspects of our lives that nurture and uplift us.

One way to increase this focus is by asking ourselves, on a regular basis, 'What really matters to me right Now?' 'What is it that will bring me the peace and tranquility that I long for as I navigate these uncertain times?' Through these simple questions, we focus our awareness on the only space that we can truly find the certainty and stability that we long for; the Here and Now. In this focus, we may find a gratitude and appreciation for the tremendous blessings that already fill our lives.

We may also find ourselves dropping our habitual worry and anxiety over a future that is nothing but a projection of our mind, and resting in the reality of what is actually unfolding where we are. In this way, we may find ourselves doing what actually fulfills us; meditating in the Stillness more regularly, enjoying our breathing, working on a creative project or spending more time listening to the Silence. Through the question, 'What Really Matters?', we just might open to the possibility of discovering that which will actually bring us the true fulfillment and contentment that we have always longed for, and find ourselves 'doing' less and 'Being' more.