Reading is food for the brain

Today, I wasn't kind. I didn't think before I spoke. I allowed my emotions to fog my thoughts and control my actions. I was not impeccable with my word, I took something personal, I made an assumption, and I unfortunately didn't do the best I could have in a situation. I do however, have the option to try again. Maybe not in the same setting or scenario, but I do and will have other chances to be impeccable with my word. To not make assumptions or take things personally, and I will have other moments where I can assert myself and do my best.

I've just finished reading "The Four Agreements" by Don Miguel Ruiz. Telling an inspiring story of a Toltec tale, it is labeled "A Toltec Wisdom Book", which it respectably was so much more. In this story, Ruiz uses history, and hard facts as examples and results of the four agreements listed in the book.

I think my favorite script from this specific read is this:

"I decided to put a little piece of my love in every tree, and the trees loved me back, and I became one with the trees, but my love did not stop, it grew more. I put a piece of love in every flower, in the grass, in the earth and they loved me back, and we became one. And my love grew more and more to love every animal in the world. They responded to my love and they loved me back, and we became one. But my love kept growing and growing."

"I put a piece of my love in every crystal, in every stone in the ground, in the dirt, in the metals, and they loved me back, and I became one with the earth. And then I decided to put my love in the water, in the oceans, in the rivers, in the rain, in the snow. And they loved me back and we became one. And still my love grew more and more. I decided to give my love to the air, to the wind. I felt a strong communion with the earth, with the wind, with the oceans, with nature, and my love grew and grew."

"I turned my head to the sky, to the sun, to the stars, and put a little piece of my love in every star, in the moon, in the sun, and they loved me back. And I became one with the moon and the sun and the stars, and my love kept growing and growing. And I put a little piece of my love in every human, and I became one with the whole of humanity. Wherever I go, whomever I meet, I see myself in their eyes, because I am a part of everything, because I love."

To love. That is it. Simple and pure. When you love, you are loved back. Some may disagree because they have loved before, and been treated ill in return. However, in some way, you received love in back in some type of way. Whether it was before you were treated ill by that person, and they showed admiration for you, or maybe you met someone related to, or attached to them in some way that really loved you in return. Maybe the love you received back was the lesson in wrong doing towards you had taught you. Maybe you learned to love yourself harder because they did not. Either way, you loved. And in return, you received some type of love back.

In one portion of the book, after going over each of the four agreements, Ruiz talks about having days where you don't quite live up to your minds own expectations of these agreements, but that we always have the chance to do better, to try our best. Today was one of those, but I can say that, "Right now I am going to think first, and do my best.", and do better from that point on. Sometimes I am not impeccable with my word, but I have been before, and can be again. On some occasions, I have taken things personal that didn't need to be. In the future, I can remember that everyone is living in their own world, different from our own, and if I take everything personal, I can assume that that person knows about my world, when they don't. Whatever negativity towards me from them, stems from their world and their reactions. Not my world.

Today, I made an assumption. I didn't need to, but the mind sometimes does that right on it's own. Assuming is the exact same as taking things personal, except instead of someone acting as if they know whats in your world, making an assumption gives the idea that you know about the other persons world, when you do not. It's alright, because we'll learn from that, and have the chance not to make assumptions later on.

Today I didn't do my best, and I was aware that I didn't do my best. That change can be made immediately with the change of a mindset. I wrote about what most of this creative book portrays as a whole because I believe anyone seeking peace within, or maybe freedom, could benefit from reading this book. The author helped put into words what the mind sometimes has a hard time organizing about self peace, and being truly free, or alive. Reading is surely just food, nutrients for your brain. This book was definitely that, and intriguing all the same.

"A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom.

A Toltec Wisdom Book", "The Four Agreements" by Don Miguel Ruiz.