This post is kind of repetitive. Watch out!

I just got off the phone with my grandmother.  She turned 88 today (confession: I wrote this last week.  Her birthday was a week ago).  Totally inspiring (and unrelated to the rest of this post).

Here’s the actual thing I’m writing about.  I’ve been making a lot of connections (perhaps shivanautical ones!) in the past week, and had a couple of ideas.

Connections:

There are so many places in my life where I want to practice the discipline of just showing up.  Sometimes I think, why am I doing this if there’s no tangible result?  Or immediate result? I don’t want those thoughts to stop me, though.

In shivanata, I don’t always have a huge epiphany.  In truth, I’m not sure I’ve had any significant epiphanies yet.  (Or maybe I have, but I’m not sure whether they’re attributable to shivanata or not).   Anyway, that doesn’t matter.  I just need to keep patiently practicing.  Showing up.  Eventually, once in a while, something awesome will happen.  I think.   The chances are definitely increased the more I actually practice!

Same in my spiritual life.  Sometimes I don’t pray because I don’t “feel” like it.  But if I can set up a discipline, a structure (not necessarily a rigid one), then the chances for something to happen are increased.   I won’t have some transcendent experience every time I pray, or study, or whatever.  But the more I practice, the more likely it is that I’ll have a transcendent moment or two some day.

Same with the job hunt.  Not everyone I contact is going to have anything to offer me.  But I still benefit from reaching out as much as I can.  You never know which of the people I meet will be the one to know something useful.  I just need to keep showing up to the practice of reaching out.

Same with the career discernment thing.  Not every avenue I explore will turn me on.   In fact, it’s better that they don’t all thrill me!  Then I’d have to narrow things down!   No, not every thing I try, learn about, ask people about is going to be a Thing.  But one of them might be.  Or one of them light lead me to something else that might be.  So I just need to keep on patiently plugging along, practicing showing up to my vocational exploration.

None if this is stuff I didn’t already know to some degree.   But right now I’m really knowing it.  I’m feeling it.  I’m reminding myself not to be discouraged.  That seems to be the purpose of this blog.  It’s a place where I write notes of encouragement to myself.  Courage!

Hey, if you’re a reader out there, I’m encouraging you, too.

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