Article by Wendy McCance
There’s a funny thing that happens when you are faced with your own mortality. You begin to question all the parts of your life. Did I do enough, learn enough, give enough? Was I good enough? Why are we put here on the earth in the first place? What happens when we die and could reincarnation really exist? If reincarnation is real, did I learn enough in my life? Will I do a better job with my life when I come back again?
These are not simple questions to answer.
I have always felt that I was on a quest to learn as much as I could in the time that I was alloted. I mean, look at the title of this blog for instance. I have this feeling deep within myself that we are all missing the big picture. We go through our days in a haze of activity and rarely do we stop and give our brains a chance to process what is going on around us.
As I have aged, I have learned about taking care of myself on every level. I look at my body as I look at owning a car. It needs to be tended to if I want to keep it running properly. Because of my own health issues, I am always struggling to do as much physically as I want to. It frustrates me that I don’t have the stamina to do as much as I would like to do. I get sore very easily and if I overdo a workout, I end up in bed for days exhausted and in pain.
Because of my own challenges, I fine tune what works best for me. That means taking a walk, bike ride or swimming. Running, working out with weights and aerobics are just too much. I just began trying yoga and as of now can only get in one yoga session a week because my body is rebelling against this new form of exercise. That’s fine though because I will eventually get to my goal of going at least three times a week. It’s just going to take me longer than the average person to get there.
My point is, even though there might be limitations standing in my way, I won’t give up. I need to do something good for my body and if it takes small adjustments to get there, that’s what I’ll have to deal with.
Exercise is just a small part of what I am doing to take care of myself. I watch what I eat (although I do have those days where sugar is my best friend). I am always aware of how my body feels and what food or supplements can make me feel better.
I am also very aware that you must take the same care with your emotional side as you do with your physical side. I am on a spiritual quest to understand what my life is really all about. What is it I’m supposed to learn?
Let’s take reincarnation for example. If reincarnation is really possible, you will be brought back (reincarnated) to learn a lesson you weren’t able to complete the last time you were alive. Each time you learn the lesson you were brought back for, you move on to the next lesson in the next lifetime. It’s really a fascinating theory.
What really strikes me is that no matter if reincarnation exists or not, living with the mindset that it does puts your mind in a whole new place. You become more observant to how you are living your life. How you affect those around you and what cycles you repeat because you haven’t learned from the experiences you’ve gone through.
Right now I am reading Beyond Past Lives, by Mira Kelley and The Tibetan Book of Meditation, by Lama Christie McNally. What I love about these books is that they are written in story form. You get to read about real people and their experiences and then more information is fed to you as you finish reading each personal story. It’s definitely not dull reading and doesn’t feel like instruction manuals either. The reason I am reading those two books is to help myself slow down and take in what I am experiencing each day. Am I learning what needs to be learned? Am I living a life that is fulfilling and peaceful and full of love and kindness?
My hope for my life is to gain as much knowledge as possible in this lifetime. No one is perfect, but I want to attempt to find a new level of peace. I hope to find the answers I don’t know yet that I am searching for. I also want to leave a positive imprint on those around me.
What about you? What were you meant to learn? Do you know? Have you ever asked yourself that question?
Wendy McCance
To contact Wendy McCance about a writing or social media assignment, interview or speaking engagement, please email her at: [email protected]
Latest posts by Wendy McCance (see all)
- Top Parenting Blog Winner - June 19, 2017
- Interview with Claire Cappetta of Clarified Lifeline - April 27, 2017
- Rewrite Time - April 25, 2017
Interesting, I do not know what I have to learn, I can only hope I have learnt stuff while on this earth as Jo-Anne, I believe we are reborn over and over till we learn all we need to know
I think so too. 🙂