A Study in Extremes
Yesterd
ay after cleaning rooms Bobbie and I went to watch The Million Dollar Arm. This is a sweet, inspirational movie about two young Indian men who are brought to the states to become the first baseball players ever from that country. Somewhere in the midst of the movie the agent expresses to his neighbor that the smells in India are extreme. He said, “It is a study in extremes.” In the dark I had to write it down, wrestling with pen and paper from my purse, I began to miss the next scene. Those words echoed for the rest of the movie.The past five years of my life have been an experiment and study in extremes. Financial strains, relationships, physical issues, and spiritual changes have added to the extreme study of life. As spiritual as I think I have become, I am still human. I still want things that I want. I still want easiness and not the rawness of those extremes. The intensity filled with ups and downs sometimes is too much for anyone to handle. They suck! No other adjective can eloquently express these major studies.In those moments that I have a bratty-girl episode alone (so no one can witness such ridiculous attitude) I immediately go outside. Staring at the mountains, the lake, the backdrop of what I am substantially a part of in this life…well…those “things” (like not having a car) don’t really matter. We are humans in every aspect of our being. We are spiritual in every aspect of our being. We are the trinity in every aspect of our being. We wrestle with extremes every single moment. I don’t believe there’s anyone exempt from this experiment.“A study in extremes.” Wow! God is the scientist and I am the guinea pig or the Petri dish under the microscope. Seeing the world as one class experiment can make it easier to sustain such infinite levels of mind, body and spirit. The more spiritual I become, the easier the experiment gets. Anything that is imbalance becomes a problem. Too much physical and less emotion is horrible. Too much spiritual and less physical is also an obstacle. Too much psychology and no action…a disaster for the mind!Part of life is allowing for those emotions to rise and fall while honoring the ride from highs to lows to highs again. This study into the depth of intensity is all circumstantially filled with lessons and growth. The experiment begins the moment we are born and ends the second we stop breathing. There's a dance between faith and love that seems to aid in these extremes when we are aware of their fluctuation. It is then that the intensity of the study is not so intense.I was a good student in school. I followed the rules. I caused no problems. These past few years have allowed for me to feel stuck and dumbfounded at times. I've done everything I have been asked by Spirit. And, yet, the study has forced me to balance those areas in myself that had rarely been addressed. I am forever thankful. This study (and the giant experiments) in extremes is an on-going venture. It is getting easier. It is becoming clear what areas need help, adjustment and patience. This seesaw is the pretenses of our journey. May you find the study in your extremes to be worth the time and effort to pay close attention because that knowledge comes straight from the source of God! He makes no mistakes!“To acquire knowledge, one must study;but to acquire wisdom, one must observe.” – Marilyn Vos Savant