by Kimberly Gibbons

Created on: May 08, 2011

As the majority of us do, I have experienced many challenges in life. A few of these challenges have been: drug addiction, dysfunctional relationships, the drug overdose and death of my son’s father, and single parenting. It is because of these circumstances (as well as an innate curiosity) that I have spent a great part of my adult life searching for answers and some Universal Truth. Here are some of the “lessons” I have learned:

There is only one problem I have in this world. That problem is my thinking. I used to think (and when I fall asleep again I still do) that my problem was you. “You” being an unsupportive family, a dead beat dad, a rude grocery store clerk, a horrible driver-and on and on. There is one common denominator in any perceived problem I have. That common denominator is me. Ouch- that hurts. However, the good news about this is I am the only person I have control over. I determine which thoughts and emotions I have and I also determine what to do with them. True power is always within.

There is no question to be answered, no spiritual journey to be walked, and no great truth to understand. The irony is it took 25 years of asking questions and seeking truth to figure this out. I used to think that those 25 years had been an entire waste of time. But as my 18 year old son pointed out, “You didn’t waste 25 years of your life. It took those 25 years of seeking to ‘realize’ that no seeking is necessary."  You can see why I love my son so much.  There is no question. There is no answer. Presence is in the present and the present is the only point of entry. Seeking isn’t necessary.

It doesn’t matter so much what is “true”. It does, however, matter what I believe to be true.  For example, I can choose to believe that all humans are separate from me. I can also choose to believe that each human being I come into contact with is just another me. Which perception is true doesn’t matter at all. What does matter is the belief. If I believe all humans are separate from me, my life experience will be one of separateness. If I believe every human is another aspect of me, my life experience will be one of connection and love. The truth of either of these perceptions is irrelevant.

I can no longer view my life path as vertical. This has come as quite a relief. I used to think that I somehow had to keep learning “lessons” over and over until I “got it. When I “got it” I could somehow ascend spiritually to a “higher” level. I do not have to earn or learn my way into any higher level of ascension. Believing in concepts such as higher or lower has just been another way of remaining stuck. This sickness is called, “becoming spiritual”. Concepts such as “learning lessons, higher/lower, and karma” are all constructs of the human mind. In fact, it is quite likely that believing there is a path at all, is just another construct of the human mind. Recognition is the only thing that needs to take place.

Everything, except Presence, changes. This includes my perceptions. As a result, there is a good chance that everything I have written above, will no longer hold true five years from now.

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