Scratching the Surface

"Education is not the learning of facts, but the training of the mind to think." -Albert Einstein

When I questioned the value and purpose of my college education, Harvey Branigar, Jr, a man who helped me pay for college, pretty much told me this. He was an awesome man. He was invested in those he helped. He offered part loan, part grant each semester. In return he required me to write him and - he wrote back. I think he is gone now, but he was a great role model for me to be introduced to.

I always say we could do a better job of helping each other out. Why is the act of needing help looked at negatively? It is something we all need at one time or another.

In The Tao of Abundance there was a story of a man who got a check/loan for much more than he was supposed to. He went out and invested it, and good came out of it. Lenders want to give those who don't need the money more money. I have heard it said they'll give an umbrella when it is sunny, and take it back when it rains.

Sometimes the resources of one can benefit many. It is not about charity. It is about being able to see a bigger picture. It is about investing in those around us. It is about being personally enriched by the enrichment of others.

This is spoken by someone who is not in the position to give money...so some may question/negate the perspective. In some way, I do question it myself. But I have spent most of my life giving what I did/do have. I extend the resources I have. I give of myself. And if I had money to give, I would give that, too.

What if there is a bigger picture that we miss when there are cries of charity and socialism? What could we do to help those around us be the best version of themselves that they can be...however that looks? What if we made investment in others the way we invest in vacations, gadgets, the myriad of things that fill our life?

What would we have to lose? It seems to me that what we got at the moment ain't working particularly well.

Is it my college education that got me to this place? I am not sure. I suspect a lot of who I am is who I have always been. I got into trouble with my grandmother once because I had heard that if you wanted to appreciate those with no sight, you should experience what it was like to not be able to see. My grandmother was losing her sight and she told me I should be grateful I had it. She didn't appreciate the perspective of the other person, as the reality was all too real for her. But here I was, in 5th grade (?), trying to understand and appreciate what another was going through.

I suspect it is the empath in me. I feel others deeply. I have always sought to understand things and people. I have always sought to relate to others, to truly connect. In some ways it is overwhelming. In others, the reward has been great.

My stomach is in knots as I write. There is a lump in my throat. I am very much humbled by the mysteries of the life we live.

I spent a lot of time and energy yesterday making a much needed shift. I had known I needed to do it for quite some time. I hadn't known how to do it, and then it suddenly unfolded easily and effortlessly. And I was rewarded by those affected/impacted. I received incredible validation and support and admiration. Given what it was, I was a bit melancholy, as it felt like the closing of a chapter. But I also felt a sense of relief. An incredible sense of relief. I know there is more to come. It is just coming in its own time, as it apparently has its own timetable.

I have wondered if I should have done it before, but for whatever reason, I was not ready before. Being ready seems to bring an incredible ease not possible before. It also brings unexpected opportunities and openings.

I suspect there is great reward in allowing ourselves to be fully and completely who we are, and I also suspect I am just scratching the surface.