It is a joy to work with the ideas of the teaching that Dr. Bob gave us. In elementary school and high school we learn the material in the books, regurgitate the material on a test, pass and then promptly forget much of what was taught. I’ve noticed that many in the teachings parrot the ideas Dr. Bob gave us feeling like that’s doing the work.
Three ideas that have stuck with me from transcribing many of the workshop tapes are:
I’ve found a way that is new for me since experiencing being blind. I’m learning Braille and have a Perkins Brailler with which to write and practice Braille.
- We are the what and X is the how.
I so often hear others say, if God would just tell me what to do, I’d do it. Dr. Bob said that’s upside down. So I experimented with that one and found it to be very valuable. Repeating that – we are the what and X is the how.
2. In the “48 tapes” somewhere it is said we only need to report and observe what’s going on and do it passively to X.
We can observe what’s going on in our external world, but more valuable is observing what’s going on in the mind that gets us stuck. He even gave us a place to look with the picture of man and the idea of the four dual basic urges.
3. And he said we could talk to God/X every day. We each can find our way and many do it through meditation.
I’ve started using the Brailler every morning and writing a letter to X/Dr. Bob just writing what from the previous day was a challenge or what’s happening or I’m going to encounter. It seems a bit strange and one sided as I type a letter to an invisible Being, but the benefits have been very interesting and can only be experienced by doing the work whether by cursive, computer or as I do it.
As an example and demonstration I offer this:
A couple of years ago the eye doctor dilated my eyes to check the eye condition. That night I awoke with such pain in my head that I thought my head would burst. I had no idea what was going on, but something inspired me to call the eye doctor. It was discovered that I had a glaucoma attack. It was an emergency and the eye doctor had me come in and with a laser poked holes in the cataract so there was circulation. He said it could never happen again.
Fast forward to a new eye doctor who insisted on dilation. The upcoming appointment gave me much distress and so I took it to the Brailler the morning of the appointment. I wrote of my previous experience, my fears and confronting the staff.
As I was being led to the room of dilation, I asked the nurse if I could tell her a story saying that I was afraid that the previous doctor had only done the left eye and just knew it was going to happen again. She looked at my file and said, “No honey, he did both eyes and he’s correct, it can’t happen again.” I burse out in tears.
This nurse had experience helping her elderly mother and therefore worked with me instead of just doing the routine work without considering my state of being. When that happened, she said “God sent you to me.” Hum. Now isn’t that interesting.
It is an ongoing trip of learning ways to communicate with our creator and it is also valuable to be aware of the answers and experiences that come about after the work we do.