Shine On Your Regular Mediocre You–It’s Brighter Than You Think

One of my favorite comments during the 3-day Year of Inquiry retreat last weekend was when a participant said, about me….

….”the thing I love about Grace is, well, unlike other teachers, I just can’t put her on a pedestal.“

On the inside, I had a big wide smiling feeling.

Because, strangely, this is what I always wanted from leaders, facilitators, teachers, guides and mentors. I wanted to know they were regular people, like me, and that I fit in with them.

That the gap wasn’t so far-reaching and impossible. That we’re all in this together, connected, sharing.

I wanted them to be approachable, open and real. I wanted me to b this, too.

And I wanted to know that Reality….

….a word for the force far bigger than all of us (you might like to use different words like God, Source, Mystery, Universe)….

….is who we all are.

Don’t get me wrong.

Throughout life, I have loved hearing truly amazing stories of change and healing, and miraculous occurrences in human lives, shifts of consciousness, the brilliance of what is possible….

….but something deep inside told me that I wasn’t going to be one of those outliers.

Even though I had extreme experiences, and hurt myself and others, and was very confused, and felt very broken and crazy sometimes….

….I knew I wasn’t ever going to be on the front page of the New York Times or go completely crazy or have a massive influence like Jesus Christ.

Well, never say never, right? (Because it’s not really up to me, turns out).

But somewhere along the way, I realized, if I keep trying to be like other incredible humans who have walked the earth before me, I won’t be this one, here.

The one who is apparently me.

All This….is for everyone.

Freedom is for anyone. Love and Joy is for anyone.

And I mean anyone.

The thing is, I really wanted to wake up and understand this mind, discover freedom, contribute to the world, and look around with an inherent joy and gratitude for being here….

….even though I was a mediocre, regular, normal sort of human being, who was only here for a short time in the big scheme of things.

Like most of the people in the bell curve.

Nothing special.

Who would you be without the belief you need to be bigger, better, more special, more unique? Who would you be without the thought that who you are is not enough, or too boring or mediocre, or too much like everyone else?

Who would you be without the thought that you need to raise a raucous and stand out and be noticed in a big way, or hide your flaws or do it right or become enlightened like Byron Katie or Adyashanti?

(And I love those guys, sooooo much).

I began to notice who I would be, without images of needing to change or improve or hide.

Very strange.

But without the thought of being anything different, or more, than being this human, I’d be feeling a life force, heart beating, lungs breathing, alive in something called a body, fast mind on task trying to figure everything out, images, imagination, encounters all happening simultaneously….

….stunned at what’s actually going on around here.

Awed at the movement, activity, aliveness.

No idea what’s happening. Part of the Great Hum.

Laughing.

“If you knew how important you are–and without the story you come to know it–you would fragment into a billion pieces and just be light. That’s what these misunderstood concepts are for: to keep you from the awareness of that. You’d have to be the embodiment if you knew it—just a fool, blind with love.” ~ Byron Katie in Question Your Thinking, Change The World

We are all the same underneath, even if we’re all different.

Beautiful and shining.

Much love, Grace