Grace

I've been playing around with the concept of grace a lot lately, and what this looks like. Really, the practical side of it, the tangible side of it. What does this really look like? 

Extending this grace to myself and to others. When you look at the definition of grace, it says "courteous goodwill." But, doesn't it go past that? Isn't it more than just being courteous and kind to others? 

I falter between dogma and giving myself grace. Where does discipline play into this? I think in the time and place that we are currently in, there isn't much room for us to not be on. It's so easy for me to stick to my schedule, and truthfully even to the point of exhaustion. For a little reference point, I like to wake up at 4:30 to start my routine, and I'm pretty much go-go-go until 10:30-11:00pm at night when I crash (literally--I zonk out in no less than 4 minutes). 

I'm starting to realize that going to the point of exhaustion is also not extending myself grace. It's okay if I am so sleepy that I sleep in, if I don't get to 1 out of 7 things that is part of my routine. But grace to me is also not creating excuses for myself to not do my routine either. 

It's the balance I'm trying to figure out. Because to me, that is where grace lives--in that beautiful space where we are continuously filling our cup. But even in that filling--there must be a constant giving. 

Extending that grace to others. It's hard to keep in the back of the mind that people's intentions aren't negative. Aren't we all just trying to do our best here? Extending that grace, to me, is the balancing act. To make sure that our cup is overflowing so much where we can't love others, where we are constantly worrying about ourselves. 

This has been a difficult concept to grasp, and maybe I'm not doing the best explaining this. But this is where grace has fallen. Grace to myself to fill my cup, and grace to others where we don't become so ego-centric. 

This post is completely random, but to me it's such an important concept in Ayurveda. What is grace. How do we act from a place of grace. Without it, I think we may all be a little bit more unhappier. 

May you find the grace in your life to love yourself and others.