Brad4d Savasan‪a‬ Beth Bradford

Living alone doesn’t mean leaving society or our current surroundings. Instead, as The Buddha taught, living alone means living without the heavy baggage of our past and anxieties of our future. Solitude can’t occur when these ghosts accompany us. Instead, we experience stillness in the present moment, even in the company of others.

Who makes our decisions for us? Do we consider the consequences of our choices? If we make decisions rooted in our sense of entitlement, it might mean someone else loses. It might bring about suffering among our community, which will come back around and cause us suffering. Instead, we trust in karma, recognizing that the intention behind our action results in eventual consequences.

Like a gardener uses old scraps to feed new seedlings, we can use our processed experiences to cultivate something new in our lives. Instead of tucking away our afflictive experiences, we mindfully reflect on them. We recognize what we can learn from them and nurture our new experiences with them.

We get easily lured away from our center by our attachments and vices. We all have them. It’s just a matter of whether we control them or they control us. We take a pause, return to the virtues of our spiritual center, then ask, “is this a wise choice?”

We go to a therapist for our mental health, but what about our spiritual health? That’s the job of a spiritual director. Richard Rohr writes that both can be helpful in leading a healthy, productive life. I would also add a third—someone who knows about healing the body.

Tiger Woods’ car accident would have him suffer leg injuries, and people are doubting the future of his golf career. Having back surgery the same time he did in 2014, I was amazed how quickly he would swing the golf club again. People were amazed that I would finish an Ironman five months after my back surgery. We can never underestimate the power of the human spirit. If Tiger Woods wants to return to professional golf, I have no doubt he will. It might not come quickly, but it will come.