Last week I was dealing with some difficult things. My mind was spinning with “what ifs.” The worry and anxiety was overwhelming and I couldn’t seem to quiet it.

Thankfully, I have a regular practice of breath work and meditation. The older I get, the more I rely on it to bring me back to the ground. It’s takes a lot of discipline on my part, but now I can’t imagine living without it.

Have you ever heard of summum bonum?  In essence from what I have researched, it is Latin for “the highest good”.  It’s a phrase used to describe the ultimate or highest goal or virtue that serves as the primary purpose of human existence.  It is the “north star”, which is what most of us are searching for! 

I learned about this phrase by reading Paulo Coelho’s newest book, The Supreme Gift – Love is the Greatest Thing in the World. It is a short read, under 100 pages but has some powerful wisdom in it. According to him, the highest good is simple, yet very profound: love.

How many times have you felt that feeling when you have been immersed in your day and suddenly you realize that hours have gone by and you thought only one had passed? Or the reverse, when you’re certain hours slipped away, only to discover it was much less?

Time is such an interesting thing, isn’t it? And the older we get, the more precious it becomes.

While I believe our energy and spirit continue on after we die, there’s still that human preoccupation with how much time we have left.

Then John looked at each of us and asked, “What’s your story?” He was a skilledfacilitator.  He seemed to know just when to ask the next person a question and quietly and attentively took in our answer. He created a comfortable space. 

It turned out to be a beautiful exercise for all of us.

Good people rarely make the news. They are just here. They want to belong, to be loved, to contribute, to help, to share, to serve and be seen. When you walk into the post office, the doctor’s office, or the grocery store, look around. You are surrounded by good people trying to keep it all together.

If we reach out and connect, support, smile, and love one another our collective power is HUGE. Seven billion, nine hundred million strong. That’s the reality.

It’s not because we’re lazy or because we haven’t read the right book yet. Instead, what he says is that, “the greatest achievements often involve remaining open to serendipity; seizing unplanned opportunities, or riding unexpected bursts of motivation.” I totally believe this.  It’s OK to strive. To keep working towards a better tomorrow, but don’t forget about the “now” you are in on the way. 

My son walked out to his car the other day and sitting on the hood, was a book with no note or explanation. He asked around to see if he could find out who left it, but no one stepped forward. So, the assumption is that it must have been a simple random act of kindness.