Monday Morning Wake-Up Call

~ Live & Learn

I urge you to find a way to immerse yourself fully in the life that you’ve been given. To stop running from whatever you’re trying to escape, and instead to stop, and turn, and face whatever it is. Then I dare you to walk toward it. In this way, the world may reveal itself to you as something magical and awe-inspiring that does not require escape. Instead, the world may become something worth paying attention to. The rewards of finding and maintaining balance are neither immediate nor permanent. They require patience and maintenance. We must be willing to move forward despite being uncertain of what lies ahead. We must have faith that actions today that seem to have no impact in the present moment are in fact accumulating in a positive direction, which will be revealed to us only at some unknown time in the future. Healthy practices happen day by day. My patient Maria said to me, “Recovery is like that scene in Harry Potter when Dumbledore walks down a darkened alley lighting lampposts along the way. Only when he gets to the end of the alley and stops to look back does he see the whole alley illuminated, the light of his progress.”

— Anna Lembke, Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence (Dutton, August 24, 2021)

28 thoughts on “Monday Morning Wake-Up Call”

        1. “Mental Umami”. Wow. a category of taste in food (besides sweet, sour, salt, and bitter), corresponding to the flavor of glutamates, especially monosodium glutamate.

          Are you going to keep doing this to me all morning Word Sensai?

          Liked by 1 person

          Reply

  5. a powerful insight into that Dumbledore scene. reminds me of Steve Job’s quote:

    “You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.”

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  6. Wisdom, which could be applicable in other areas of life, as well. Sounds like a way to approach financial solvency. Lori,thanks for the heads up re: “Fresh Air”, segment! I will take time this week to listen

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  8. As I read her words I feel drawn back to the past … when these words were so awe inspiring , and I was so curious and ready to open to the wake up call 🙏
    Now it’s like … a resounding Yes and Duh! Get with the program of mindfulness, movement, self compassion, then stillness and love 💕

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  9. Dang.
    And I love the Dumbledore reference. As well as the Steve Jobs quote shared by Jim.
    I’m feeling right now in a sort of limbo. While I do strive to immerse myself in the now, I’m feeling stuck. Sigh.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  10. Pingback: Immerse Yourself Fully | Kevin Barrett's Blog

Leave a Reply