Still Learning

Life goals; to hang out on the dock with swans. Discerning or otherwise.

So two and half weeks ago my husband and I left behind our lives in Cochrane and moved to out lake house full time. He left his job and retired early (as long as we don't over spend). So I didn't do a mantra in April, what with the move so this is April and May.

I saw so many swans on all our drives from Cochrane to Creston, I mean I suppose it could have been the same 6 swans a bunch of different times but humour me. So we chant to Saraswati, and it turns out it is good timing because it is the time of her celebration in India right now too.

I wrote about Saraswati here and she is one of my favourites. Goddess of knowledge, learning, music, silence, and singing. So chanting to her seems like the best idea ever!

Om Srasvatayai Svaha

You can hear me chant it 108 times here.

When I last visited Saraswati I talked about how she road her swan of discernment which is still my favourite thing. I often need the reminder to follow my own path.

But this time I am going to write about being a life long learner. I read it somewhere that once you start down this path towards enlightenment and self improvement it is almost impossible to get off of it. You are have no choice to move forward. And so I offer up the challenge to become a life long learner. Picking up a new hobby, learning something new, challenging yourself.

I think for me that one of the reasons that I didn't fall into depression after my brain hemorrhage was this mindset that I can tackle the things that are hard for me. Each challenge is an opportunity to improve or learn a new way to do things. I will not ever get back to the me I was before, but I will do my best to improve from where I am.

This choice to be a life long learner is exactly that, a choice. You choose to examine your beliefs, thoughts, your hinderances, and the things you don't know. You constantly choose to grow and learn on your own and from those around you. Be it challenging yourself physically, learning something new, meeting new people, or diving deeper into what you already know. Maybe you share what you know with others. All of these things require something important from you, you have to acknowledge there is room for growth no matter what your age, and be willing to examine and challenge your short comings. Sometimes this means being willing to make mistakes, to look silly, and to ask for help and guidance.

I am lucky that I have a group of friends who I do this with, for the last 5 or 6 years we have grown together. My husband and I constantly encourage each other and share in each other’s delight of learning more. Be it listening to podcasts together on drives, or me watching youtube videos about car engines. You have to see you areas to grow, recognize your own short comings and be willing to work on them. This can be challenging. But this is the practice.

Something bothers you, you notice, you wonder, you explore... you grow. And if you are lucky you surround yourself with people who are on that path with you. You begin to notice the people in your life who are not willing to do this and for them the learning is finished. This blog has always been a way to share the things I am learning, and now that my life feels a bit simpler with the move done and some stillness I am looking forward to learning some new things, and improving on the things I know now. Today I learned how to add an MP4 file to my blog page that feels pretty exciting to me.

We meditate on what we know, what we don't know, and open to the discernment to know what is for us and what we should let go of. This to me is the gift of Saraswati. And also swans are awesome.