Globe glasses

Globe glasses, one of the everyday gems found on the kitchen shelf at Saint Mary's.

Balancing Heaven and Earth is an incredible book by Robert A. Johnson, written about his life. My friend Juliana suggested I read it, on the same night she suggested I write a book of my own. I love what he wrote here about the ego:

I feel that the ego is properly used as an organ for awareness, not the organ of decision. Almost everyone in our society tries to use the ego as an organ of decision. For example, we may say to ourselves, "I am going to Europe. I will buy the air tickets for this date, and will stay in this hotel when I arrive." The ego is useful for collecting information about ticket fares and accommodations and things to see and do when you arrive. But the ego does not determine the experience you will have on your trip. People get so preoccupied with trying to control things that are not in the ego's province that they neglect what is the ego's business -heightened awareness. The ego should be collecting data and watching. The ego serves as the eyes and ears of God. It gathers the facts but does not make the ultimate decisions.

I love this take on the role of the ego, because too often the message is that the ego should be obliterated. And because it's how I travel. The body and mind scrambling to do what it takes to book accommodations and purchase tickets, to make way for a call that will not be ignored.