Tea with Linda - FLEXIBILITY

Tea with Linda - FLEXIBILITY

Linda Kavelin Popov, Co-Founder of TVP, July 2023.

Life is full of surprises. Some are delightful and some challenging. Both contain grace in equal measure. It is easy to see the gifts in those that increase our joy; when facing an unexpected test, not so much. We can connect with grace through the spiritual practice of flexibility – our willingness to ride the currents of life with trust and openness, and by seeing all that happens as an opportunity to lean into a teachable moment with a humble posture of learning.

At times, something will suddenly appear in front of us in response to a prayer or a wish. The other day at Aitutaki clinic, I suddenly noticed that two people with whom I wanted to connect were sitting on either side of me. A third was outside just as I left. I had a brief conversation with each of them and went home with a band-aid and a big smile. It felt like a moment of Grace, and I was thankful. One of my recurring teachable moments has been that there is true spiritual efficiency in prayer, and in seeking guidance rather than pushing to make something happen. It’s the choice to shift into flexibility sourced in trust and faith when seeking the way forward. It’s going with the flow, finding the current and letting it carry us, rather than feverishly paddling away against the current, trying to impose our will rather than discerning the direction we are meant to be taking. A friend talked about trying to organize a daily meal plan with the family when one family member fell ill, pushing so that every day would be covered. The plan just wouldn’t come together. Then, a daughter arrived to stay as caregiver, saying it wasn’t necessary, and that she would ask for help when she needed it. “When I push,” my friend said, “it doesn’t work out. Slow and steady, gentle perseverance is far more effective. The family didn’t need me to make things happen. It was an organic unfolding.” If I had attempted to organize meetings with the three individuals who appeared with synchronicity, it would probably have been a very elusive process, but here they were, all at once, and only a few private words with each of them provided answers I needed. The virtue of faith, combined with the flexibility to go with the flow, is a much more peaceful way to live. A Tahltan medicine man in Canada once asked me, “Would you rather be driven, or would you rather be led?” I think of it as driven by my ego (which craves control) or led by my soul (which seeks to be guided by Grace.) The Buddha says, “Freedom and happiness are found in the flexibility and ease with which we move through change.” Peacefully pursuing a path relying on Grace doesn’t mean to be helpless or to do nothing, waiting around for something to happen. It’s a shift within our spirit, setting an intention and trustingly taking the next right step on a path we feel led to take. When we “let go and let God” as a slogan goes in Alcoholics Anonymous, it’s amazing what miracles can appear in our everyday lives.