meditation

Ever heard the expression, “You get what you need, not what you want?” Oh how we hate to hear this one, right? It means we don’t always get the relationship that is nothing but slow dancing to Journey songs and long nights of soul gazing. It means we don’t win the lottery, or win the part of George Clooney’s love interest. We don’t get Giselle’s thighs, Angelina’s lips, or Jessica’s boobs.

We get what we need. We get the body that is sometimes hard to accept, the relationship that challenges our sense of self or our ability to practice loving-kindness. We get the job that feels unfulfilling, or uncreative, or downright stifling. We get the bank account that teaches us, in whatever form we so clearly need.

In other words, we get what grows us. We get what take us through to the other side and reaps a harvest of patience, acceptance, love, compassion, forgiveness. We get what grows us.

At the end of the day, it is what we crave. We don’t truly want stagnation and happily-ever-afters. We don’t even want that when we die... no, we continue to learn and grow and evolve.

So, yes, sometimes life brings us that big, red, shiny bike. And sometimes life brings us a 6-pack of underwear. Can we accept the underwear? Can we see it, too, as a gift?

Personally, I like to believe that eventually we get to have it all. So, when life throws you a 6-pack of unders, be grateful beyond belief... it’s entirely possible that the underwear has come first so that you aren’t caught riding your bike naked : )