I ain't feeling it right now....

I am sitting here writing this blog realizing that I just ain't feelin' the whole spiritual hero thing right now. This, I think, is important to acknowledge. Far too often, people assume that spiritual leaders always are on game and never have days when it just isn't workin'. This week has been one of those days. If spiritual leaders were as honest as I am trying to be in this post, more often than not, they would say that they had it all together but forgot where they put it. They would also tell you that the veneer of being a spiritual superstar is rubbing off by everyday life.

In many ways, it has been more or less normal for me -- work, home, sleep, repeat-- but I also experienced the loss of a friend from a particularly aggressive form of cancer. From time of diagnosis to death was a month. That sucks! One month to get your whole life together just doesn't seem fair. This started me thinking about priorities for spiritual living on not-so-spiritual days. What should we be devoting ourselves to doing in our pursuit to be spiritual heroes in this world? Should we feel as though we should cover up our struggles so people who follow us or listen to our advice think we are perfect? OR should we pull back the curtain and allow people to pay attention to our failings and faults?

Personally, I am leaning toward the latter rather than the former. My reason is that it is a whole lot easier to relate to someone who is like us than different from us. All of the best heroes in mythology, religious texts and stories are people.... gloriously flawed and still making progress. Even Superman has Kryptonite to remind him he is not invincible. If we try to be some untouchable being from another planet, people will soon become frustrated with us or will see through our "perfect" disguise. People need to understand that even though we are carving a spiritual path that works for us and that we are gaining new insights and tools to help us in that goal, we are still trying to pull it together. Vulnerability is a part of spirituality. This walk ain't for the weak at heart! We will trip and stumble around. We will take a path only to have to make a u-turn because it just isn't for us. Life is going to point out all of the places in our disguise that don't quite fit. We will be exposed as ...GASP... Humans!!

I love a saying that I have heard from Dr. Wayne Dyer. He says we are spiritual beings having a human experience not human beings having a spiritual experience. When we re-frame our thinking about the spiritual journey and realize that we are indeed spiritual beings-part of the Divine Mind/Energy/Source- but we have been given the chance to live this out in a clunky, clumsy, fallible human body. It gets tired, angry, irritable, ill and eventually dies. However, what we are building in our spiritual journey goes on. The Spirit carries on. So when you ain't feelin' it, it is OK. You will get on track and move ahead again and grow spiritually. Sometimes, it is in the middle of times like this we grow the most.