This morning I got Facebook post “This World is not here to make you happy. It is here to make you Conscious”.

And this is such a strong reminder of where all my angst on this path comes from. Just because I am walking this path, does not mean that the World will overnight transform everything to accommodate me. “Oh look, Neena has now committed to walk this path… and boy she waddles around, zig-zags, crisscrosses, 2 steps forward, 1 step backward… Oh let me fix everything for her so that she can be quickly enlightened!” No Sir, that is not what the World is saying.  

“Here is a bump, and here is gaping pothole, and here is the dark corner of your heart… here are the cobwebs and here are ratholes, and you are gazillion miles away from your destination”. Yes Sir, that is how the World is busy kicking my back, making me take a hard look at myself. Once in a while, the Universe throws me a rope and provides me magic carpet, but most of the times, it is a walk on the tight rope.

What I realize is that, just because I am walking this path and Gurudev has provided the roadmap, it is not easy because of my expectations. So, I started writing some reminders for myself and I hope this is useful to at least some of you all who are patiently reading this post.

 Just because I am committed to this path, and –

1.     I choose not to lie, does not mean that people will not lie to me.

2.     Just because I am gentle in my speech and behavior, does not mean that people I am interacting with will be gentle in their speech and behavior towards me.

3.     Just because I draw boundaries to ensure that I have time and resources to support my journey, does not mean that my loved ones and well-intentioned people will not push, challenge and try to negate those boundaries.

4.     Just because I believe, does not mean that my loved ones will believe or respect the same.

5.     Just because I share and am transparent in my dealings, does not mean that people will share and be transparent with me about their dealings.

6.     Just because I believe in miracles, does not mean that others will.

7.     Just because I am excited about my journey, my peace, and since I care for my loved ones, I offer the gifts of wisdom (e.g. BlackLotus or books), does not mean that my loved ones are ready to accept these gifts and avail them for their benefit.

8.     Just because I do my sadhanas and am learning to be mindful, does not mean I will not get derailed time and again. And when that happens, it is quite possible that my loved ones will challenge my commitment to my path- “Oh I thought you are not supposed to get angry” or “You do so many japas, why did you lose your cool/ get upset/get anxious etc etc…”

The list above is my attempt to keep on the path and not get disheartened due to my own doing or with what is going around me. I know I am changing, slowly, one day at a time.

As Gurudev says, it is only through awareness I will be able to transform my conduct, and it is only through conduct, that I will be able to bring change for good around me. This means I need to be constantly aware of the lessons above because in the end it was never about them… or as Raman Maharishi said, “There is no other.”

What are some of the lessons you have learnt on this path?