Today I was thinking about a great Abraham recording I heard recently. On it, they said something like, “It’s not the stuff of life you are after. It’s the experience of life.” Those are not the exact words, but the gist of it is that people tend to get caught up thinking they care solely about the stuff of life. As in, someone wants to earn (or save) a particular dollar amount, build a business to a certain size, or have that person as their spouse or romantic partner. In my case, I thought I needed to run CIM last year.
The circumstances and the specific desires vary, but isn’t it common for people to get attached to the thing they have decided they want? It’s as if we say to ourselves, “When I get that thing [job, money, material possession, relationship, achievement] then I will be happy!” Obviously, it is an alluring proposition, because it is so common for us to act like we believe that.
The Abraham idea helps clarify this. Perhaps it is not the stuff we are after, but the experience we think the stuff will bring. To me this explains a lot. We think a certain dollar amount, achievement, or person will make us happy. But what is the experience behind that goal? Don’t we crave positive feelings such as joy, satisfaction, being proud of ourselves, gaining confidence, growing as people, feeling loved, contributing to others, and knowing our worthiness and ability?
Looked at from this light, my own running journey makes a lot of sense. In 2021, I had a truly beautiful experience. Training for two marathons gave me a sense of adventure, excitement, growth and fulfillment that I don’t think I’ve ever had before. It makes sense that I got a bit attached to the notion that immediately running the next marathon was the only sensible way to stay happy.
But it wasn’t running a marathon that I really cared about! It was feeling good, enjoying the journey, having a great experience. When I got done with CIM 2021, it’s clear to me now that I needed to rest. It took me a year to give myself this, but ever since I let go of attachment, I am having a great experience once again.
The details of my life now are radically different than the marathon training experience. After all, I ran 0 miles back in December, and have kept it mellow since. But that’s the point! It’s not the details, the stuff of life, that matter. It’s the experience!