The conversation is everywhere

Had an invigorating meeting with a couple friends from my networking group last week, Steve and Debbie, a financial advisor and life coach respectively. How is it that every conversation with these folks that’s supposed to be about our businesses winds up on spirituality? Answer: everyone’s on a spiritual journey! It’s amazing.

Steve had some powerful things to say. He tries to live his life “leaving the smallest possible physical footprint, but leaving the largest possible spiritual footprint.” To him, this includes being mindful about things like recycling and earth-friendly habits, along with spreading peace in his work and family life. He feels it's important to keep the Sabbath, and attributes a lot of society’s ills to breaking the commandment, “Thou shalt not covet.”

Debbie is earnestly trying to help her clients by encouraging that spiritual spark. She’s wrestling with how to do this more professionally, yet finding that there’s no quicker way to get results for those who are trying to better their lives. She thinks she may just have to face up to it and make it a key part of her coaching strategy. More power to her!

I, of course, wound up talking not so much about my editing business, but about my healing practice and this Weblog. When discussing the “thou shalt not covet” commandment, it occurred to me that the opposite of coveting is gratitude. And here I was, talking about this spiritual concept with my new friends, outside of any church or religious environment. (We were at Panera Bread, if you were wondering!)

I read a poll the other day on a spirituality Website asking something like, Where do you find the most inspiration? The choices were things like:

• In private meditation or prayer,
  
• In religious or church settings,
  
• In reading inspirational material,
  
• In discussion groups.
  

I know I find inspiration in all of these things, but today I’m especially grateful for discussion with others. One-on-one, small groups, across generations, between genders—I love experiencing the resonance of bouncing ideas off each other.

And I’m finding that very few people are outside of this conversation. Almost everyone has learned something and has something to say, and those for whom it’s not top of mind will formulate something given a little encouragement. Everyone’s interested.

What have your spiritual discussions been like lately?

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Your ideas and inspiration are welcome! Please comment below or Contact Laura.
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• Conversations
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• SpiritualPractice