Wandering through a reflective place

A friend of mine was in a very competitive relationship with a romantic partner. Their way of dealing with each other was very much like a business transaction, so much so that he often said to me, "If I make that concession for her, what will she bring to the table in return?" Love, it turns out is not a business and the partnership disolved soon thereafter.


A nonagenarian who is in constant pain, yet afraid to die, prays to "That which we callGod*" every day, "Please take away my pain, but don't let me die." This, as I see it, is placing conditions on "That which we callGod" and how that being gets to let us experience our lives.


If we are to ask for fair treatment in our personal relationships with each other, should "That which we call God" not have the same fairness from us? We tend to expect miracles in our lives without making effort or commitment. Pain, discomfort, ill health, accidents, any number of problems ranging from inconvenient to disastrous, can come into our lives and we are told by our religious leaders, (I'm talking the Judeao/Christian beliefs here) to pray and our prayers will be answered. So we pray, "Dear God, please remove this thorn from my finger/thaw this frozen lock/don't let my girlfriend be pregnant/don't let me be late for work..." etc. and we expect, in some cases DEMAND results. But what are we willing to bring to the table? Nothing! So what can we truly expect to receive? Uh-huh.


As a Reiki Master, I was taught that my services require an exchange of energy; money paid for services rendered or something of that nature. I have often traded Reiki for other services such as a professional massage or a Reiki treatment in return. Reiki could be exchanged for a meal, a CD, or anythingof value. Exchange doesn't always mean money but it does mean something for something. In our relationships in our competitive Western society, we believe that to receive something for nothing gives us an advantage, while in truth it just makes us lazy and complacent. Without exchanging, we tip the balance and one person or group of people will suffer while the other gains an advantage.


So in your relationships with others, whether personal or professional, keep the balance fair. Trade kindness for kindness, cash for goods or services, or services for services. In your relationship with "That which we call God," keep the balance by doing something good... Plant a tree, clean up the litter from a local park, buy coffee for someone who left their money home... Act with kindness and your kindness will be repaid somehow, somewhere, someday. Believe in Karma.


* I'm not sure if I believe in the traditional definition of God as taught by the church. I do believe in a Greater Power and for the sake of identifying that Power, I am willing to go along with the traditional Christian name of "God." But since many do not wish to acknowledge that name, I simply refer to It as "That which we call God." That way, my meaning is known without sparking debate. I think our naming of that Power is as personal as our relationship with It, and that is true for each and every person alive.


~Still Wandering....