The Poisoned Tree

There are times in one's life , to become aware of this poison and reflect for it is a wake up call for bringing about a transformation about the self . That is my own experience in life and it led to believing in my own self and bringing about the necessary changes in my own life . In my own context I am grateful to that wake up call till today .

The tree is not poison, it's strong medicine, not to be used as food. It tells us this quite plainly. Listen...

I would like to share a very personal story about difficulty and growth. My father was an alcoholic and as expected I grew up in a household where every night we did not know what we would encounter . Luckily my grandparents were like guardian angels for my mother, brother and myself trying their best to shield us from the chaos and dysfunction. My only thoughts while going through this difficult times were number one what I could do to make all my grandparent’s efforts worthwhile and secondly how I could become capable of not only supporting myself independently but also helping others. I put all my energy into studying which was the only thing that was in my control at that vulnerable age and by God’s Grace got into Medical College which became the turning point of my life . My childhood was full of fear, anger, shame, worry, sadness due to the incessant havoc alcohol and my father created in our lives but looking back I don’t have any bitterness or complaints about... [View Full Comment] I would like to share a very personal story about difficulty and growth. My father was an alcoholic and as expected I grew up in a household where every night we did not know what we would encounter . Luckily my grandparents were like guardian angels for my mother, brother and myself trying their best to shield us from the chaos and dysfunction. My only thoughts while going through this difficult times were number one what I could do to make all my grandparent’s efforts worthwhile and secondly how I could become capable of not only supporting myself independently but also helping others. I put all my energy into studying which was the only thing that was in my control at that vulnerable age and by God’s Grace got into Medical College which became the turning point of my life .
My childhood was full of fear, anger, shame, worry, sadness due to the incessant havoc alcohol and my father created in our lives but looking back I don’t have any bitterness or complaints about it because in my heart I know that I would probably not be where I am today without those very experiences. They gave me the drive, motivation, purpose to do push myself single mindedly to achieve my goal of being a physician. It was a poison that became a potion of success for me !
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I had to undergo a total hip replacement , walking had become painful. Iwas grounded during that time and feeling sorry for myself. I got out some art materials and was able to produce a dozen paintings . The paintings are being sold to benefit those who lost their homes in the California fires and some have been made into greeting cards to support orphans in Nepal.
So my suffering turned out to be a chance to connect with my own creativity and be of service to others in the end.
i am so gratefulto be able to walk without pain.

I think the reason why it is difficult for me to relate to difficulties for ex. in my relationship is that these issues are unresolved in myself and hurt too
much in my inner system. it‘s just too much to deal with it. and this too-much-ness pushes away and creates more pain in the person ‚having difficulties‘.
step back, reflect, take back the projection and slowly deepen my understanding of my own painful parts, thats healing.
love
simon

It is not easy to accept difficultchanges and adverse circumstances happening in life. Instead of grumbling and complaining or avoiding and averting or denying I need to understand them and accept them. I have learned to look at such changes with clear eyes, open mind and open heart. Such circumstances do cause pain. They can cause fear or despair. The pain may turn into suffering. It is up to me how to relate to them. I have learned not to react to them but tokindly and compassionately pay attention to them, understand them and take constructive steps to work through them. As I am getting old I run into many kinds of difficult changes such as increasing pain in certain parts of my body, decreasing energy and not being able to have restful sleep and people whom I love passing away. These are big changes. I relate to them by accepting them gracefully. Difficulties are teachers. I have learned many lessons by keeping my mind curious and my heart open. It is how I relate to them make a bi... [View Full Comment] It is not easy to accept difficultchanges and adverse circumstances happening in life. Instead of grumbling and complaining or avoiding and averting or denying I need to understand them and accept them. I have learned to look at such changes with clear eyes, open mind and open heart. Such circumstances do cause pain. They can cause fear or despair. The pain may turn into suffering. It is up to me how to relate to them. I have learned not to react to them but tokindly and compassionately pay attention to them, understand them and take constructive steps to work through them.
As I am getting old I run into many kinds of difficult changes such as increasing pain in certain parts of my body, decreasing energy and not being able to have restful sleep and people whom I love passing away. These are big changes. I relate to them by accepting them gracefully.
Difficulties are teachers. I have learned many lessons by keeping my mind curious and my heart open. It is how I relate to them make a big difference. Maturity has helped me to make wise choices.
Namaste!
Jagdish P Dave










accepting them mindfully. I am grateful to my loving and caring family and friends for looking after me and lovingly taking care of me.
Difficulties are teachers.They teach me an important lesson of life. Life changes. Nothing is permanent. I have learned to accept this universal truth gracefully and live life as fully as I can.














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We have too much of a get rid of difficulties mentality and would benefit from having more of an attitude of what's this difficult circumstance about and what can I learn from it. In our druggized society, we drug feelings we don't want out of existence rather than listen to them -- they are the result of a way of being and are signaling us to examine our way of being and be different. The times I have listened to my anxiety and depression rather than drugging them into oblivion, I've learned to increase accepting and being myself. What helps me learn from difficulties is knowing that difficulties are also lessons to learn from and problems are opportunities. Those are cliches that are true. Nietszche said that which doesn't kill us makes us stronger. It helps me to know that if difficulties don't kill me or I don't kill myself, I can learn and grow from them.