The Gift of Transformation
Transformation (conversion) brings with it an extraordinary gift. I was raised in a religious tradition that mandated conversion, which punched my ticket for the afterlife. I was frequently asked what I would do if I died today. I was never once asked what I would do if I lived. But what if conversion is about living this life, today, with my whole heart? “We are healed of a suffering only by experiencing it to the full,” Marcel Proust wrote. So we wake up to this fragile and exquisitely beautiful life and embrace the sacred present. When I’m not preoccupied (held captive by angst), I notice, I pay attention, I see. And in taking ownership of my life—this life—I am available. Not frightened by scarcity, I’m not enticed to ask, “What do I need today?” Rather, I can ask, “What do others need today?” You see, I have both resources and assets to give: a listening ear, empathy, a calm demeanor, a shout-out to a friend, words of consolation.
—from the book Stand Still: Finding Balance When the World Turns Upside Down,
by Terry Hershey, page 3
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