SURRENDER — Monday Motivational Meditation #376 — 2018-10-22

Always say ‘yes’ to the present moment…
Surrender to what is. Say ‘yes’ to life –
and see how life starts suddenly to start working for you
rather than against you.

Eckhart Tolle, 1948

Spiritual teacher. He is a German-born resident of Canada best known as the author of The Power of Now and A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose. In 2008, the New York Times called Tolle
“the most popular spiritual author in the United States.”

SURRENDER

Today I know I will practice the art of surrender. Things will happen that I will not be able to control, but I will see them as they are and, while being honest about them, I will not allow my mind to make the story bigger or smaller than it is. I will be there honestly and respectfully. Surrender requires courage.

Of course, I want the interventions that I implement to make a difference. The patients I serve want nothing less from me and are hoping for nothing less. But I surrender to the reality that some of the issues I will face are so complex that I will have to be comfortable with not knowing completely. They will require surrender.

In my relationships with my coworkers, family, and friends, I will try to be present without all the stories I can tell myself so easily. Suspending the judgment is a great place to practice surrender. I don’t have the same life experiences, upbringing, and internal drives as my colleagues. Allowing them to be themselves requires acceptance of what is.

Wondrous Beyond, help me to surrender today to things as they are. Willing to be present honestly and responsibly in all situations, curb all the judgments I will want to make and direct my heart to attend with all the presence I can muster. Confident that I bring an energy that can guide and heal, fill me with peace. AMEN.

ACTION: Do you see yourself surrendering to what is in your daily work? Think about some examples this week and how you were in the moment. Are you able to pause all the judgments your mind wants to make at those moments? Share your thoughts with a colleague.

Central American eco-guide and professional nature photographer Fred Muller was busy climbing trees and inventorying orchids in the mist-saturated cloud forests of Cobán, central Guatemala as part of a diversity study when I connected with him by phone this week. Fred is one of those incredible people who has abandoned the familiar to follow his passion; exploring and documenting the phenomenal diversity of tropical nature. He lives a full and active life introducing visitors from around the world to regional wildlands and their remarkable flora and fauna, especially the thousands of orchids that inhabit Mesoamerica.

Fred was born in Montpellier in southern France and, since early childhood, has had a fascination with nature and wild places around the world. He was a jewelry maker in France for a few years and that too stemmed from his fascination with all beautiful things. But, tired of sitting at a bench, he finally heeded the call of the wilderness. Traveling to Australia he followed the light with nothing else than a recent gift, his first professional camera given by one of his uncle’s friends, and boundless dedication day after day. Then, life connected him with both researchers and amateurs that needed high-quality photos of tropical wildlife and plants. He has been fulfilling his dream in Guatemala since his arrival there in 2007 after spending five years as staff photographer at the botanical garden in Lyon, France.

Fred’s extraordinary photographs of Central American orchids flowering in nature have appeared in the annual calendars of the American Orchid Society as well as on several well-known webpages that showcase tropical nature, including David Scherberich’s amazing online aroid plant image base and Exotica Esoterica where he is a collaborating author.

You can see samples of Fred’s amazing photographic work here. Or, better yet, feel free to contact us to connect with Fred and schedule a custom-made tour through the fascinating ecosystems and Pre-Columbian archaeological sites of southern Mexico, Guatemala and other countries in Central America.

Nursing Heart is grateful to Fred for permitting the use of his photos in this series called, “Peace.”

Nursing Heart Friends,

We are still basking in the good things that took place with the students and faculty from the Nursing Department at the University of South Dakota. Sometimes we will be asked what we do when groups are not with us. This week is typical. Of course there are many meetings to make sure we are all in sync, and then it’s our outreach to communities.

Our monthly clinic in Santa María de Jesús took place on Thursday and on Friday morning the team was with the community at San Felipe. This is the first year that we will offer one of our nurse practitioner clinics with our friends from Florida Atlantic University. Nursing Heart doesn’t just drop in to these communities. Relationships with them are fostered and they are the drivers behind our efforts. Sixty women signed up for a cervical screen after the presentation by Blanqui, César and Sara on Friday morning.

We’ve been sharing with the team from South Dakota our ongoing efforts. We like to believe that we are offering encouragement and excitement about the kinds of things that can happen in a nursing career. And, we have some fun like sharing this video of their week with us. You can enjoy it too! Several of the students chose to become monthly supporters of our efforts. You can too! Sign up here.

Peace,

Surrendering our first world amenities is a small price to pay
to make a difference in this loving Guatemalan community.

Makenzi Vlotho
Sam Vanderostyne

Fourth year BSN Candidates
University of South Dakota
Sioux Falls, South Dakota