Ordinary Night Turned Extraordinary

Last night Amira and I were watching Oprah, and her guest of the evening was a woman named Elizabeth Gilbert who wrote a book entitled Eat, Pray, Love. The entire show was devoted to this woman’s soul-searching journey. Of course, one cannot grasp such a journey in a one-hour episode filled with endless commercials, but there were key things in this segment that captured my attention. It goes without saying that I’ll be getting this book as my latest read as I found her very interesting.

There were so many things that captured my attention, but one of them that seemed so very profound were the three things she did everyday.

One, when she wakes up she writes in her journal the same question, “What do I really, really, really want?” Then she writes the answer that comes to her. She said after doing this for a period of time one truly finds out what it is they are seeking in this life and will help them to focus on gaining it. For me, I see this as an opportunity to deepen my faith with God. For me it’s not about financial gain, about worldly gains, or anything of that sort, but of a much deeper understanding and connection---for there is nothing more uplifting, more satisfying, more rewarding, or more everlasting than that connection with Allah.

Second, she meditates. Again, I looked at this as spending time in uninterrupted prayer---communion with God. Stilling our minds, our thoughts, our movements, and our hearts long enough to be connected, which certainly requires practice. We busy ourselves so much that even sometimes during praying it’s easy to let our mind drift if just for a second and then collect again to focus. Remaining still and silent for me is definitely something I must continually work on. For years, I was afraid to be still and silent because that meant I would be alone with just myself, and that frightened me. I didn’t like who I was. I didn’t like the things that had happened to me. I didn’t want to be reminded of those things and didn’t want to be reminded of who I was. At first, it seemed like force to do such things as sit and be silent. Then, it became easy to justify life was too busy, so avoided it, but the pining was always beckoning me to come back. It was/is during the wee hours of the early morning when the sun has not yet risen that I could/can allow myself to sit in silence….to allow myself not to rationalize the situation, to not talk myself out of the moment, to not be anywhere else but at that very moment. It has become the sweetest tenderest moments of my existence. There was no judgments, no criticism, no sarcasm……..just me, the stillness, the silence and God.

Elizabeth then shared the third thing she does, which was at the end of everyday she writes something that she was grateful for in her day. I loved the fact that she was genuine and admitted some days are just plain crappy, but she still looked for something good in it. Even if it was feeling the sun shine on her shoulder as she was getting her mail out of her mailbox…..for her it was everything because it meant she was alive. How often do we forget we are alive? How often do we walk around in either depressed state or state of unconsciousness? How often do we wish we were more than what we were or desired more than what we have, only to leave us feeling empty and despaired?

It is always the little things that get overlooked. Why? Maybe because we don’t see them as significant or maybe we just don’t see them because we are always focused on something that should be grander in form. I know I’ve definitely been guilty of this on a number of occasions in my life. I just wonder if seeing the little things would give us a greater since of being right here and right now, rather than the bigger things that are always somewhere out in the future. This certainly doesn’t mean not to have goals, set priorities or have dreams…..no, not at all, those things are necessary. I think it just reminds us to remember that the only thing we have is right NOW, so enjoy it completely.

This morning when I woke up with no intentions of really doing anything but hanging out with Amira, I decided to write for the first time, “What do I really, really, really want?” My answer was “That unexplainable soul connection with another human”, and then just went about my business.

Going through some email, I received an email along with a video clip that afforded me a glimpse of that answer to my earlier posed question….’the unexplainable soul connection to another human’.

Email read - This is amazing.........

This is a story about a guy, who, like most of us is probably an everyday sort of person, maybe questioning his existences, measuring himself to others, never believing in his abilities or his worth.

Then one day, his passion outgrew his fears as he stepped onto a stage, a stage that took him to a place beyond his self imposed prison.

Watch the faces of the judges as this guy walks out on the stage. You can
Almost see what they’re thinking as they pre-judge this guy based on his looks
And the fact that he’s a cell phone salesman.

It seems this guy stopped believing in what people told him for so many years
and ultimately started listening to his passion.

P.S. I know Brave Heart shared this with us over the summer, but for some reason it moved me even more now than then, and then it was very moving.