Are you thirsty?
Some of the
Coolest
Most refreshing
Deepest cleansing
Absolutely soothing
W A T E R
doesn’t come from a faucet
Doesn’t pour from a pitcher
Doesn’t spill from a glass
Doesn’t cascade down from the sky

Are you thirsty
Sip with your eyes
Drink with your fingers
Gulp with your ears

Have your fill
And then go about
Quenching
Another’s dripless
Yearning

It’s not so much
WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME
YOU DRANK YOUR FILL
so much as 
WHEN  WAS  THE  LAST  TIME
YOU  QUENCHED  A  THIRST.            .            .

If you’re not letting
YOUR   WATER
f               l               o               w
you are
stinking stagnant .            .            .

Do me a favor, please.     .     .

Take a quick pop quiz for me;

Oh, come on,

it’s not going to be that bad for a Wednesday

.       .       .and besides,

I’m going to give you the answer:

Deal?

The    A N S W E R    I S:

T              H              R              E              E

Are      you      ready?

Here we go:

Pick a number between 1 and 10.         .         .

Multiple that number by 2.         .         .

Add 6.         .         .

Now divide that number by 2.         .         .

One last step.           .           .

are you ready?

Subtract the original number you picked between 1 and 10.           .           .

Allakazam.           .           .

Abracadabra.            .         .

YOUR        ANSWER        IS        THREE!

I don’t know how that works out,

but   I LOVE THAT IT DOES–every time;

old or new or core math.          .          .

it makes no difference,

THE      ANSWER      IS      THREE!

So.       .       .

so what, right?

Well, I’ve used that example hundreds of times over the past twenty plus years with groups of a few to a few hundred and everyone always gasps with amazement;

I tell folks that it’s one of my favorite definitions/illustrations of Spirituality.     .     .

We may all start out with a different number

but we all arrive at the same place

I   N       T   H   E       E   N   D !

I was reminded of that this by a patient who had just been diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer about 6 months ago.        .        .

He did the research and to his mind felt that with or without interventions/chemo his life span was about the same and with that he chose to forego Chemo and choose Hospice to live out his days with quality since quantity wasn’t in the equation any longer.

He told me that he

NOW      KNOWS      HE’S      GOING      TO      DIE

instead of just merely believing that one day he will die.        .        .

He said,

T   H   A   T   ‘  S         A         G   A   M   E         C   H   A   N   G   E   R ?

I didn’t ask him,

nor do I ask anyone else,

WHAT     THEY     BELIEVE.         .         .

I asked,

What     S  U  S  T  A  I  N  E  D     HIM?

He told me family and friends and his S P I R I T U A L I T Y.      .      .

I asked him what that his spirituality meant

and he told me

an   openness   and   acceptance   of   all   things   and   all   people

And then.         .         .

he gave me such a beautiful illustration:

The night before many family members had been there to visit him and he pointed out the different kinds of water everyone had brought to drink.         .          .

DIFFERENT     NAMES     BUT     ALL     THE     SAME !

Hmmmmmmmmm of the day:

What     I     call     H2O     you     call     WATER.       .       .

It’s a matter of taste, isn’t it?

How absurd is it for me to make fun or shun

or actually kill you for saying:

MY    WATER    is    better

than    YOUR    WATER ?

Or.       .       .or that my ultimate love of Pecan Pie

is more right than your affection of

Mincemeat Pie?

Dare we agree that we may all be saying the same things–

D   I   F   F   E   R   E   N   T   L   Y ?

Blindfolded,

Would you be able to tell the difference between

Crystal Geyser,

Evian,

Fiji,

Aquafina,

Dasani

or the Costco

or Wall-Mart brands?

Pick a number between 1 and 10.        .        .

Sip.         .       .no,

drink deeply and notice that we–

all of us–

truly    are    only    quenched    when    we’re    thirsty

(AND    WE’RE    ALL    THIRSTY    FOR    THE    SAME    THING    BY    A DIFFERENT    NAME)