Mildred's Musings: Spiritual Growth in an Age of Anxiety

“The Road Less Travelled and Beyond”

Spiritual Growth in an Age of Anxiety

***A Promotional Ad for a book by M. Scott Peck

It might seem odd to promote a book on a blog dedicated to stabilizing neighborhoods.But this is a ‘special ‘ book. This book is written to encourage growth for a time ‘such as this’. I chose to re-read it recently because I was feeling more anxiety than I could recall feeling before in my life and my life has been filled with drama and loss. A major source of the current anxiety stems from living 15 minutes from the beach in Pensacola. The unrelenting trepidation of waiting to see IF the oil would come is over. It’s here.

I moved back south in 2006 specifically to live on the water near my roots (south Alabama). I had hoped that living on the water and being close to my family would ease the pain. Neither helped. Nothing can replace the necessary grieving process which is internal. Peace is not a place you move to and people cannot magically provide it. My daughter Dovie loved Florida and had dreamed of moving to the Gulf Coast area. I came and I missed her more rather than less. I wanted her to share the beauty here.

Eventually I took a forced grieving period (also called a nervous breakdown), left Florida for 8 months and did the grieving I had delayed. I returned in May of 2009. This time I chose not to live on the water but only slightly inland. I resumed an aggressive travel schedule, frequently spending as few as 6-7 days per month in Florida. I also crammed my away time with so much that I was too tired when I was here to go visit the beautiful beaches of Perdido Key, only 15 minutes from my front door. I have rarely taken the time to spend leisurely appreciating this natural wonder because:

• I was too busy
• I’d have more time when I retire (whenever that might be )
• It’s not going anywhere

None of those reasons can quiet the sadness I feel that I have grossly underutilized a golden opportunity which was right at my doorstep. Literally. We take too much for granted. While I have an immense appreciation and respect for the awesome power of nature to heal and encourage us, I have taken this gift for granted. I have benefitted from those magical times on the water to quiet my inner turmoil and allow me a brief glimpse of the wonder of it all. Whether at sunrise or sunset or middle of the afternoon, there is nothing which compares to standing on the beaches of the Gulf Coast. You are compelled to adjust your attitude just by the sheer majesty of the it all. And it has been altered, perhaps beyond our power to restore.

Today’s economic climate, natural disasters, rising unemployment, challenges such as the Gulf oil spill, the foreclosure crisis—ALL combine to leave many, if not most, of us looking for ways to maintain a sense of balance. Survival is uppermost in our minds but balance is necessary for survival.

Quoting from the book jacket “Dr. Peck continues the journey of spiritual growth that began with “The Road Less Travelled”; one of the most influential books in modern times. To the famous opening lines of that book—‘Life is difficult’—he now adds, ‘Life is complex’. But the greatest challenge, he reminds us, is to learn to deal with life’s conflicts, problems and paradoxes to find the true simplicity that lies on the other side of complexity.”

This book is a serious book, not to be skimmed over lightly. It will cause you to analyze your current thinking process. It might be that thinking more deeply, expanding your vision of what is possible, given your current unsettling circumstances, could be just what the doctor ordered. I encourage you to consider that possibility, with your heart open to receive.

I will confess that frequently when I start to write I have no idea where I am headed with an entry. Only as the writing flows does it become clear to me why it seemed the subject to share. We are facing, individually and collectively, the most difficult times in the past 50-60 years. Our ability to survive—the Gulf oil spill and the cracks and crevices in our personal lives—will require new, deeper thinking. Authors such as Dr. Peck can point the way. Why not get a copy today?

It is available also from Simon and Schuster in audio. Read or listen—and GROW!

Be steadfast in determination.

Mildred

Host: Home Ownership Matters Preservation Center, Inc. www.HOMPCI.org

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