Simply Lent - 7
Falling apart
Things falling apart is a kind of testing and also a kind of healing. We think that the point is to pass the test or to overcome the problem, but the truth is that things don’t really get solved. They come together and they fall apart. Then they come together again and fall apart again. It’s just like that. The healing comes from letting there be room for all of this to happen: room for grief, for relief, for misery, for joy.
This reflection may seem harsh. Pema Chödrön is a Tibetan Buddhist nun. When I was in school in Boulder, Colorado, I had the opportunity to study with her, and I know for a fact that she never hesitates to say what she thinks. (more about that in another post!)
Like most of her reflections, these words are important to consider. We live in a time when so much is going on! So much, we can experience confusion and a sense of being out of our control.
To figure out how to live without becoming overwhelmed could be our primary job right now.
There is a cycle to all of this. As Pema writes, “things come together and fall apart and come back together again.“.
Even though this quote is confronting, there is a tone of compassion. Balancing ourselves while riding this roller coaster takes practice and patience.
Challenging but not impossible.
Quote: Pema Chödrön
