I have certain books that are always near me, they are like comfort food, food for the soul. Sometimes I don't even have to open them. I've read them so many times just having them near me reminds me of many things, specific passages, favorite quotes, and it just makes me happy. One of those books is Sue Bender's Everyday Sacred: A Woman's Journey Home. In this brief section she is speaking of one of her great teachers, Yvonne Rand, and Yvonne's gardener, Aloush. I would like to share this with you. The title of this little section is called Sufficient.



Sufficient

Yvonne has a gardener, a Mayan Indian from Chiapas, whose name is Aloush. He comes two days a week, works effectively but quickly, and knows a lot about plants. "I learn a lot from working with him," she told me one day. "I also like working with him because he is very quiet."

Yvonne and Aloush eat lunch together. Aloush eats a modest amount, which always amazes her because he works very hard. At the end of the meal he says,

"Sufficient, Yvonne, it is sufficient."

And the way he says sufficient is convincing and there is also a boundary about it. She is not to insist by putting more food on the plate or badger him to eat more lunch.

"It is sufficient."


This particular section really hit me, and it makes me feel very open, and very tender. It is also a reminder.

I put post-it notes on the edges of my computer as reminders. One that I have had there for some time says, "It is enough." I put this up as a reminder to me as it became increasingly important to me to simplify my life, and be very mindful about consumption of every sort. Whether it is eating, or spending money on unnecessary things, or any other place in my life where I might overdo. And no, I don't always remember, but I keep on trying.

It is enough.

And then, when I reread the above and was typing it out here for you, something really struck me and it was the difference between boundaries and walls. We have begun to realize that it is not good or healthy to build walls that separate us from other people that we love, or even those we dislike or feel unsafe with, because sometimes we cut ourselves off from too much of the world in doing this. Conversely, a great many people never learn how to set healthy boundaries. We have to learn to set boundaries that make us both feel safe and set us in the perfect center of our real lives. We need to learn to say No, kindly, but firmly. This is a good exercise. In the days ahead notice when you have put walls up around you, vs. healthy boundaries. Notice how both of these particular things affect you. Don't beat yourself up if you feel you've "done it wrong." There is no "doing it wrong," simply being aware, and learning more about ourselves and the world around us. Understanding more about our relationship to people, places and things.

And then let go.

Don't carry it with you. Note it, be aware of it, let it go. Each time you notice something new, note it and move on. In the process we learn more than we can realize or understand in the moment. That's okay. Just keep on keeping on, and one day you will wake up and see a new person in the mirror, maybe not so much physically different, but the soul inside burns a little brighter. We are new people in a whole new world.

It is sufficient. It is enough. We need nothing more...