What Are You Holding Back?

Spring is a rampant orgy of growth over here in Oz. There is a riot of colour and scents as flowers, trees, and shrubs burst into glorious blossoms. And I have a deep red rose bush just outside my office. Each bloom hangs heavy with gorgeous lush petals and an intoxicating fragrance. It is truly delicious outside - you could almost eat the air. As I plunged my nose in another wonderful flower, it occurred to me how generous nature is. Everywhere there is a thrust and push for life - a magnificent unfolding of life in a fantastic rhapsody of beauty. It makes me weep with joy and amazement. Nature, it occurred to me, doesn't hold back. Nature, or God/Source/Spirit/the Universe reserves nothing in its experience of life... it releases every possible bloom, it squeezes grass and weeds from every possible crevice, it spares nothing in artistic creation of wondrous creatures - air, earth, and sea-born alike. So what's our problem? Why is it that we shrink back from our own beautiful manifestations? Why is it that we are afraid to let our own glorious voices be heard? Or why is it that we hide from stepping in to our own personal power? Why do we think that we are anything less than another fantastic creation of God? I am getting the nudge everywhere that I have been playing too small, so I know what it's like to be called forward, to take risks, to step in to the spotlight trembling and find a voice that says, "Here I am!" It's scary. Some people may not like me. Some people may disapprove of me. Some people may not like the colour of my hair, or the sound of my voice, or the cut of my suit, but who am I to deny the glorious life force that was gifted to me in this body as one of God's creations? We have a duty, a natural born-calling, to be great. To feel great. So why aren't YOU? Where are you holding back? Do you give 100% of yourself each day to the task you are doing - being fully present and engaged? Do you stop and savour the moment and acknowledge how glorious it is to be in human form - to be able to touch, taste, feel, hear, see the miracles of nature all around you? Do you express yourself fully and completely, with honesty, love and gentleness with everyone you meet - even with bank tellers, taxi drivers, and checkout girls? Do you feel yourself growing and expanding in your awareness and contribution to the world? Do you give freely - of yourself, your time, your energy, your love, your money - with no expectation of reward? If you are choosing anything else other than joy from moment to moment, you are turned away from Source (or Spirit, or God) and in denial of the very life force that brings your bag of bones to life. But all that's ok. Because you have a chance right now, in this very moment, to turn your gaze back to the light, to the power of life, and simply be in it. That's all you need to do - just turn your gaze inwards and feel the miracle that is life - the untouchable, miraculous force that animated two cells and created YOU. Wow. Kind of makes worrying about flat tyre or a spreadsheet kind of pointless, doesn't it? By all means, deal with the tyre, and the spreadsheet, just don't waste your joy on worrying about it. Focus instead in savouring the wild ride of this human life -it's a mere blip in the eternal spectrum, so make the most of it.