Waking Up to Life

Waking Up to Life....

Okay.  I am going to admit this. I fell asleep in my chair with a roaring fire going while most of the northeast had a blizzard.  I startled myself awake as I got drenched in Coke.  What?  Can I really believe that I fell asleep with a can of Coke in my hand?  Then when I woke up, my entire mid-section got soaked in Coke. I'd like to forget the logistics and antics of what happened.  All I can say is that I have never jarred myself awake like that!  

Now here is the question.  Was I really awake?  Oh yeah, I was out of physical sleep--for sure--and needing a change of clothes. But are the spiritual masters correct that most of us are really asleep, not alert to life, when we are supposedly awake? 

Now, look at this person meditating. He is still, but very much awake.  The point of meditation is to be alert, concentrated, focused--some would say to hear your own heart beat.  And then from within to be awake to life in a whole new dimension. The serenity of the morning sunrise, I would say, is in the heart of this person. 

We don't need to turn into a guru.  We need to become more than tourists in this world and especially of our inner lives. I have no doubt that I needed the rest--but to have fallen asleep with a Coke can in my hand says volumes to me of needing the real rest that does not come from this world.