The Line Drawn in the Sand

As I learn more about setting good boundaries, I realize that it is less like drawing a line in the sand as if to say, "don't cross this line", but rather it seems more appropriate to see boundaries at the waters edge, where ocean meets the land. Here, the line is more fluid, dynamic & present. And if one can imagine that the whole ocean is like our universal source of Spirit then, perhaps we can also imagine that the place where water meets the land is a Spiritual place, a sacred place, just as we are Spiritual, sacred beings.

The more rigid and defined my boundaries are, the less likely they are to be adhered to or respected. The more fluid they are, the more I find them to be less offensive and more accepted.

It can be with my son, my ex, a co-worker or a friend, and the spiritual truth I discover is one of understanding & playfulness when my boundaries are like waves on the shore. I find it can be a spiritual feeding ground for the wildlife of my life. Rich with nutrients and vitality, littered with toxic baggage, and and generally a place of commerce for my spiritual vendors and shoppers.

Why do I resist this fluidity and grace in my decision making? Why do I resist the feeling of letting go and letting God?

I have an intense urge to control outcomes, I have high expectations and I am fearful of losing something I have. But, now I ask myself, "am I really ever in control? Do these high expectations serve me well? Do I ever really 'have' anything that I can lose?". If I can lose it, is it really mine in the first place?

Floating aimlessly in the sea of Spirit, or waiting shyly from the shore of Ego we can misplace a lifetime. A rigid line does no more good than no line at all. And that can be the most creative tool to employ: defining the line moment by moment, means creating a life lived fully in the Now. Whereas, that rigid line set one moment in time has long since lost its precedence the moment it has been drawn.

The older I get, the more I see that life is less about delineation of territories and more about busting down boundaries. Letting in the litter of life, the wildlife, the waves, the strangeness and the new, enlivens us, enriches us and most importantly expresses the Universal Oneness, Beauty, Truth, and Power that we are, as we are.