the big squeeze. If you want to communicate and have a strong aspiration to help others in terms of engaging in social action, helping our family or our community or just being there for people when they need us, then sooner or later we're going to experience the big squeeze. We'll find that our ideals and the reality of what's happening don't match.
We feel as if we are between the fingers of a big giant who is squeezing us. We find ourselves between a rock and a hard place. There is often a discrepancy between our ideals and what we actually encounter.
For instance, in raising children, we have a lot of good ideas, but sometimes it's challenging to put together the good ideas with how our children are there at the breakfast table with food all over themselves. Or in meditation, have you noticed how difficult it is to feel emotions without getting totally swept away by them? or how difficult it is simply to cultivate friendliness toward yourself when you're feeling miserable or panicked or all caught up.
There's a discrepancy between our inspiration and the situation as it presents itself. It's the rub between those two things, the squeeze between reality and vision. This is what enables us to grow up, to wake up, to be 100% decent, alive and compassionate.
The big squeeze is one of the most productive places on the spiritual path and in particular on this journey of awakening the heart. So instead of trying to resist it, would you be willing to say welcome, welcome, bring it on, bring it on. I grow maximum on the border of support and challenge.
And the tighter the squeeze, the bigger the squeeze, the faster, deeper, and more magnificently I get to grow. How wonderful. How wonderful.
