3P Random Reflections Blog

I don't know exactly when he first said it, but it was maybe around 5 years ago.

My husband Rick, upon encountering a problem, said to me, "This is a problem of abundance."

I stopped to ponder his statement, we chatted a bit, and then I eventually got what he was saying.

Since then, there have been 100s of "this is a problem of abundance" realizations he has come to and pointed to. I have now found myself starting to think and say it as well. "Damn, there's that darn abundance thing again!" LOL!

And this is understandable since the statement holds so much truth in it.

We wouldn't have had a stressfully-felt computer crash recovery over the last few months, if we didn't have a computer, including the 60,000 photos filling up much of the space on it.

We wouldn't have had a stressfully-felt navigation of the complex plans for our retirement if it weren't for a lifetime of multiple jobs, multiple pension plans, multiple retirement and government savings plans, and multiple complex options.

We wouldn't have had some of the stressfully-felt health issues we've encountered over recent years if we didn't have the ability to consume whatever we wanted and however much we wanted in any moment... no limit to the available choice and quantity of food and other resources.

You get the idea.

Every one of those situations came to us in some way because of abundance.

We used to think that abundance was good, and the more of it, the better. Most everyone and everything in our world seemed to confirm that for us.

We used to think that any type of scarcity was a problem... not being able to get whatever we wanted whenever we wanted it, or worse yet, not having enough (whatever we felt that never-ending-enough-hole actually was and meant).

In contrast, in many ways, we've now been discovering a beauty and grace and profound richness in getting closer to what appears to be scarcity.

When we don't have everything we need, we get to discover how much we don't need.

When we don't have everything we need, we get to be creative and resourceful, and in many ways, less negatively impactful to the environment and our fellow humanity. There's a sense of amusing accomplishment in that creativity.

When we don't have everything we need, we begin to appreciate community and relationships and the profound significance of vulnerability and needing to rely on others... building foundations of mutual authenticity and trust and gratitude, and fostering awareness within ourselves that the deepest "truths of life" are found in our intrinsic connection to everything and everyone else. We discover the beauty of reaching out in need and humility instead of just in service.

When we don't have everything we need, oddly, life gets much simpler and more fun.

When we don't have everything we need, we paradoxically discover a deep understanding of our infinitely available internal FREEDOM... less physical and mental attachments, and more spiritual peace/presence/love... our infinite innate abundance.

The pandemic has given us thousands of powerful gifts in regard to our awareness and understanding of abundance and scarcity. We are so thankful for it in so many ways.

I've been hoping that many others, may have, in their own way, had some opportunity to discover the same.

In the meantime, I am so happy to have so much more to learn about the problems of my personal abundance and the joys of my personal scarcity.

With Love and Laughter,

Jonelle

(Photo by Pixabay)

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