Weeks 8 & 9 - Life Is Born

Whew! What a day, what a week! Actually, what a slice of life I got in my feeble, trembling hands.

Today me and my dear wife came home from the hospital with our first-born, a beautiful baby boy named Jura Aleksanteri. This week I've been shuttling between my desk where I'm working on a translation of philosopher Ken Wilber's amazing book A Brief History of Everything, and the local hospital where my wife + our son were stationed. So lots of changes at the moment going on, lots of adapating and lots of reasons to keep on excercising body, mind, shadow and spirit.

Actually my practices have been so and so during the last two weeks. I wouldn't say it's because of the changes, but there is something I've learned through them neverthless. When new stuff appears on our radar, we have a tendency to get caught up in it. Better yet: get caught up in our reactions to whatever it is that takes our attention.

It is nigh-on impossible to control the world. What we do have control over is our reactions to what happens, to what is. Intelligent thing to do is -at least at first- to accept what is. That  requires not letting our attention to be mesmerized by our habitual, machine-like, knee-jerk reactions to what happens, to what is. Acceptance may then lead to actually doing something about what is, if that is called for. But at first, we must try and stay centered, not get flying after every fancy of our mind.

So many more reasons to keep on trying to practice; consistently, diligently, humbly. To bow in front of the greatest mystery, the conondrum of life, in front of living, breathing, gesticulating human being, is indeed, the function of this proud new dad's Integral Life Practice. Whatever forms it will take in the coming days, and weeks, and maybe -hopefully, I pray- even years, I will keep on relating in this blog. Keep reading! :)