Independence

The Path to Love is one of Deepak Chopra’s all-time greatest works. My copy has several sticky notes stuck along the edges. As a resource, I have this as one of my go-to books to help shine light upon any lesson in love. Take this passage for example:

The absence of ulterior motives is what sparks spirit. The neediness of an insecure ego doesn’t get disguised by other tactics. When you are in spirit, you don’t feel the urge to cajole, seduce, manipulate, beg, or insist. You simply allow, and in that, you make an open space for love to flow (pg. 164).

However, when one is in touch with spirit, it’s also possible to have very firm but loving boundaries. Deepak Chopra explains further:

There are certain loving instincts that come naturally when you are in touch with spirit…[for example,] you put another’s wishes on the same plane as your own (pg. 165).

I sat in the library checking in materials from some of our highly esteemed avid readers. As the south winds blew, the front door flew wide open, making it difficult for 7-year-old Abegale to close the door completely as she entered the library. She grabbed the slippery metal door handle with both hands and tugged as hard as she could. No one else helped her to close the door. Instead, another teacher and I gently cheered her on from the sidelines.

Standing in spiritual being, to me, means knowing oneself.