Patience is Sometimes the Best Practice

The trip to Bermuda was spectacular. The family was great and the scenery amazing. Spiritually, it was a very interesting experience being with so many people on a cruise ship. I realize I need a lot more practice because it was challenging to remain spiritually focused with over 1200 vacationers on a boat, 23 family members, and little ability to manage my own time. After a few more years of meditative practice I’d like to go on another cruise to see how I’ve changed.

The real take-away lesson – from a spiritual perspective – is patience. My spiritual growth is a slow journey and there will be times when I have the ability to practice it better than others. I was actually pleased that I wasn’t as hard on myself throughout the cruise as I would normally be. I found being with so many people in an environment filled with numerous excesses to be a difficult place to be spiritual (and I did indulge in grotesque displays of gorging on food). I still did all of my practices (prayer, meditation, readings, namasti, etc.), but lacked the ability to carry the practice with me throughout the day.

That all being said, I still did see growth. I treated myself and others with much greater kindness than normal, and not just acting kind (which comes naturally), but being kind with my thoughts as well (which does not come naturally). I also had a much greater appreciation for the crew on the ship who spend months at sea working harder than most people I see in society and always having a smile. It was honestly inspiring to see how most of the crew members carry their joy with them even in challenging circumstances. Almost every person I know possesses a lot more and smiles much less.