Been There. Done That.
Around and around and around we go
Where we'll stop, nobody knows...
Through Light and Darkness (working title), 11" x 15", acrylic, oil, and wax on watercolor paper [Lisa Renee Wilson]
Do you ever feel as though your life is on repeat? Perhaps one random Tuesday, around 2 in the afternoon, you have this sudden shock as if you've been in this situation before. You've made the decision before that you are about to make.
It's deja vu, but with a more practical sense.
You've been in this relationship before. You've had a conversation exactly like this with a colleague before. You've been on this diet before, and felt exactly the same on day 3 when you reach for the forbidden food.
I might shock you a bit here, but I'll let you in on a little secret: You have been here before. Not exactly here, but in this same position. You've made the same decisions over and over that have led to the same circumstances - perhaps with different people or in a different place, but that leave you with that same feeling inside.
We all have.
In Buddhism, this journey is referred to as samsara. According to Einsten, its insanity.
Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. -Albert Einstein
Whatever you call it, we've all been there, done that. (And done it again.) We need to begin with realizing this. Once we do, we can better understand the consequences of staying in this cycle.
I understand life to be about exploration, about the wonder of the experience. And in truth, even though something may feel exactly the same and minds are replaying the same-ol'-same-ol', each moment is completely new and completely different from any other.
So we understand the cycle, then can go about altering it through mental examination (meditation) and experiencing the magical new-ness of this moment (mindfulness).
Why not try the new? You don't have to go out and find it - it is right here, in this moment. No more, "been there, done that"....
just "Being here. Doing this."
Namaste.