My actions are my only belongings

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“I am of the nature to grow old.
There is no way to escape growing old.
.
I am of the nature to have ill-health.
There is no way to escape having ill-health.
.
I am of the nature to die.
There is no way to escape death.
.
All that is dear to me and everyone I love
are of the nature to change.
There is no way to escape being separated from them.
.
My actions are my only true belongings.
I cannot escape the consequences of my actions.
My actions are the ground on which I stand.”
.
Buddha

 Buddhism – Path To Peace

I am at a 3 day conference, Champions for Change hosted by the Tamarack Institute for Community Engagement. Surrounded by 260 people intent on creating lasting and sustainable social change, I feel inspired. Uplifted. Energized.

As I heard speaker after speaker say yesterda, “We can create lasting change.”

Yes, we can. We just have to change how we do what we do. It isn’t about throwing everything out and thinking up new ideas. What is present today has value. We have lots of assets to work with. We need to find creative and collective ways to bring them closer, to activate people and make deep systems changes that will engage our communities in co-creating a future we can all live with.

It was an amazing day. I am excited to experience what will unfold today.

And in the midst of all the inspiring ideas and deep-thinking and learning, I am also attempting to check off the final To Do’s on my wedding list.

In the midst of heady and heartfelt learning, there is the mundane. The tasks that need attending to, regardless of where I am.

I breathe and commit to staying present. To balance head and heart and spirit. To breathe deeply into gratitude and lovingly accept the awareness that some things will not get done. Some things don’t need doing. And that’s okay.

This morning, when I read the daily Zenflash I receive in my Inbox, my heart stirred as consciousness awoke. These actions I am taking now, the things I am doing now, being at the conference, engaging in conversation about collective impact and social change, creating the final things for our wedding, checking items off my list, getting my hair cut as I did last night, are the ground on which I stand.

Each one is important and while their relevance to the grand scheme of creating a better world may vary and shift, each one makes a difference to me.

And my heart whispers. Make each one count in the moment of its doing. Act in all things with intention. Clear mind. Open heart. Willing spirit.

My actions are my only true belongings. May all my actions be a reflection of my conscious intention to create better in all things, in all ways, for the good of all and the fulfillment of me.

May all my actions be grounded in Love.

Namaste.

12 thoughts on “My actions are my only belongings”

  2. I simply love your way with words. They wash over me like a soft trickle of water and float by my like a whispy cloud. But, I take them in. They do not just pass me by. The sink in and bring me peace. Thank you for being you. xo

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  5. I so appreciate your words Mark! I commented to a friend yesterday on the very same thing — I am obsessed with wedding prep and want to return to my roots of social consciousness! But it won’t happen completely until after the wedding as yup, there are so many things that need doing still, and I am loving the process of being so excited and focused on the creation of ‘the event’ and all it entails. 🙂

    Believe me, the social consciousness part of me has not changed. It is who I am.

    Hugs — and I like ‘belongings that matter’

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  7. LG

    I liked it.

    The point about our actions being our only belongings

    I wonder, if adding a couple of words to that might be fun:

    “our actions are our only belongings that matter”

    I am sure I share the sentiments of many of your readers – happy for you and enjoying your excitement about the upcoming wedding, and also missing the usual ‘meat’ of your columns because you’ve been so focused … on one event and the many things about it that seem to matter so much right now

    Your desire to control and manage all the details is ‘being Louise’ … I get that

    Your equilibrium, balance and social conscience are back-burner right now.

    Part of me, selfishly, as your reader wants it all to be over so you can get back to ‘your normal self’

    Or, perhaps, you’ll come back changed … ???

    Cheers,

    Mark

    Liked by 2 people

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