Well this meditation stuff is starting to get a
little bit easier for me and I found that with this week’s exercise I was able
to really “let go” and allow myself to visualize the message and follow the
steps through to the end. For me, there have been many people who I would
consider to be a mentor or “wise man”, but I decided to focus on my grandfather
this time. Being around him throughout my entire childhood, I have always found
him to be a source of guidance, knowledge, and peace in my life. I
unfortunately lost him to after-effects of kidney failure on Christmas eve in
2006. So sitting and visualizing him next to me, guiding me, was something that
brought me great peace, but also some sadness as I truly and deeply miss his
presence and his guidance. I could really use him at this point in my life with
all of the turmoil.
As far as the statement “One cannot lead another
where one has not gone himself”, I feel that it means that you really should
look inward before you criticize others. The old statement “people who live in
glass houses shouldn’t throw stones” is one which I feel relates directly to
the above mentioned statement. You have to begin to foster mindfulness and
positive thoughts before you can truly help others. You also have to rid yourself
of negativity and poor choices before you should ever judge another. In the
field of healthcare I feel that this statement could be applied in the sense
that you need to set a positive example for those who you treat and interact
with. How credible is a cardiologist who smokes and weighs 300lbs? I feel that
just possessing the knowledge is not enough. People follow leaders who they
feel embody what they preach. It gives credence and value to what they say.
Personally I try to embody this both as a paramedic and as an educator. I feel
that I am tasked with setting an example for people just entering my field, and
it also places faith in members of the community if I am physically fit and
capable to handle any task at hand.
Howdy!!!
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry to hear about your grandfather. Unfortunately my grandparents were all old by the time I arrived - I never really got to know them, but my siblings did and they have a few stories.
LOL on the doctor thing. I once had a doctor who was male, 300lbs (at least) and he used to lecture me on my weight when I was an early teen. Not someone I ever listen to even one bit.
Hi Leo! I think I had a similar experience to yours with the meditation exercise. I visualized my grandmother who has also passed, and I had mixed feelings about visualizing her for this practice and missing her. She was a very wise woman and I can only hope to be half the woman she was. Good luck to you in your vourneys!
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely post! You are very lucky to have someone so close to you that was such an influence on your life. I hope this exercise helped you to reconnect with him and hopefully you really get something out of it, since you would like to have his guidance.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you when you say just "possessing the knowledge is not enough". They have that saying "knowledge is power", well a few years ago I read an even better saying, "the USE of knowledge is power". I find this a very powerful statement and think of it regularly.
I think it is great you take pride in your work and set an example. It is a wonderful thing you do.