I’ve long been intrigued by the paradoxical nature of the human condition.  At the level of personality, we are goofy, complex, noisy, cantankerous, vulnerable to upsets of all sorts.  At another level, sometimes called the level of soul, we are simple, serene, safe, sure-footed and deeply wise partners with God, beings of love.

       We are challenged to make space in our sense of self for the goofiness and the grandeur – to make room for mystery, within us and around us.

       I’m reminded of a short poem I wrote, perhaps a dozen years ago.

Oddly One

If we follow

Our uniqueness,

We’re all

A bit weird.

Odd ducks

In God’s pond.

Oddly One.

Life’s Loving Cleverness

       In my work with couples lately, I’ve been admiring the ingenuity of life as it unfolds its growth agenda within us through the power of our primary relationship.  A deep inner wisdom propels us to pick just the right person to aggravate our unhealed wound – bringing it to light and to our attention, so it can be healed.

       At first, of course, we fight life’s healing agenda.  We try really hard to get the partner to stop activating our wound, so we can go back to pretending it’s not there.  Fortunately, our partner rarely cooperates with that effort.  Likewise, we frustrate our partners, so they get to face their wounds, as well.

       When all goes well, we eventually let go of the struggle, surrender to the grace of life’s agenda and do the work ourselves.  Doing the work leads to a new freedom, a new energy.  We begin to experience our heart’s desire and the promise of happiness we thought we were partnering for in the first place.

       Life is so clever – so maddening – and so lovingly persistent.