“There must be those among whom we can sit down and weep and still be counted as warriors.”
― Adrienne Rich
It takes a special kind of warrior to live a life of joy. Your focus is what counts. We live in a tough, scary, overwhelming world, full of plenty of heartache, difficulty and tragedy. Or, we live in a really amazing, joyful world, full of love, miracles, and natural wonders. Which is it for you? It is both, right? Which do you spend your time focusing on?
I have had a few inquiries about the use of the word warrior in my new book, Warrior Love, A Journal To Inspire Your Fiercely Alive Whole Self. Seems people aren’t able to put the word warrior together with the word love, or the word warrior together with the word fun, which is how I described many of the events I have scheduled to celebrate the book. I get it. Warrior means soldier, and brings up images of death, bloodshed, killing and trauma. But that is only one definition. Another is, “A person who shows or has shown great vigor and/or courage,” from Dictionary.com. Or, “A person engaged in some struggle or conflict,” from www.merriam-webster.com.
So based on the later two definitions, who do you know that is a warrior of some kind? Almost all of us, right? Would you call yourself a warrior? So, Warrior Love is a kind of love that takes courage and vulnerability. To live a life of joy, where your focus is on the miracle of life, and loving and respecting all living creatures, but especially ourselves, takes a shit load of courage. It takes courage to be yourself, to go after your dreams, to love people, to fail and try again. It takes courage to fight a disease, to stand up for yourself at work, to protect your children from bullies. It takes courage to change your mind, to follow your bliss, to take a risk, to live large lives.
The kind of warriors that go to work everyday on the battlefield are a special breed. I have tried to imagine what kind of courage it would take to do that. It is hard to wrap my mind around it. I am grateful for the men and women who are brave enough to protect our country and its freedom.
Wouldn’t you also call the men and women who stay behind to raise their families, and support them, in the million different ways they require so they can do their job, warriors? I would. Isn’t a kind of warrior love needed when the parents of a small child riddled with cancer sit by her bedside and pray? Or the friends and family of anyone with a terminal illness for that matter? Warriors, all of them.
When I revealed the title of my book to my mom, even she hesitated to sound happy. “Warrior?” she asked. But after some convincing she was able to come up with another good example. The group of men and women at her church that pray for the sick, or dying are called prayer warriors.
We need warriors of all kinds in this world. Warriors who defend our country, warriors of love and peace, spirit warriors, prayer warriors, warriors who look out for the welfare of children, and animals. We need a lot of warriors. And Warrior Love.
Let’s focus on what it means to be a warrior and help each other fight whatever battle our friends, or family or neighbors, or fellow human beings are in. Let’s focus on elevating the consciousness of the planet. Let’s focus on Warrior Love.
“Rejoicing in ordinary things is not sentimental or trite. It actually takes guts. Each time we drop our complaints and allow everyday good fortune to inspire us, we enter the warrior’s world.”
― Pema Chödrön
