On the shortest day
with the longest night
when darkness
feels like forever
remember that tomorrow
the sun will shine
just a little bit longer
and so it goes
until the longest day
with the shortest night
when the sunshine
feels like forever
and then the days
grow shorter once more
reminding us
all things must pass
and that only God
is forever
ON THE SHORTEST DAY
By Robert Van Valkenburgh
Meditations of a Gentle Warrior
To read my longer writing, subscribe at robertvanvalkenburgh.com
Just like everything around us, our emotions are in a constant state of change.
In this way, they are not much different than the seasons, nor should we expect them to be.
Happiness and sorrow, excitement and frustration, love and pain, will all come and go throughout the days, months, and years of our lives.
Our feelings are part of us, but they are not us.
There is more to who we are than our emotions.
For this reason, we should not allow ourselves to be ruled by the way that we feel.
Instead, much like we prepare for the summer heat or the winter snow, we should be prepared for our feelings to change.
This means not only acknowledging that they will change, but also taking note of what causes them to change and the affect that these changes have on us, on our words, and on our deeds.
The goal is not to be unfeeling, but to be more than our feelings.
The fact is that a life worth living requires that we feel very deeply.
But, a life worth living also requires that we speak and behave in a way that is consistent with what is true and constant.
We must learn to be more reliable than our feelings.
Holistic Budo: As it is in budo, so too it is in life. As it is in life, so too it is in budo.
Robert Van Valkenburgh is co-founder of Taikyoku Mind & Body and Kogen Dojo where he teaches Taikyoku Budo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
All photos by Robert Van Valkenburgh unless otherwise noted.
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Meditations on God 