Rejoicing in Reflection and Sharing Your Gifts: Nina

Rejoicing in Reflection and Sharing Your Gifts: Nina

<We asked our former Kitchen Manager, Nina, some questions about her life and her experience at Vajrapani Institute. This is what she had to say about the qualities that lead her to rejoice and the lessons she has learned here.

What is it you most celebrate about yourself? Why that? How does it impact those around you?

Distilled into a single word: Reflective

I celebrate the richness of my inner world. When I turn inward, I expand into a sense of beauty and fascination, and I never feel without the presence of the powerfully emotional landscapes comprising my human experience.

Nina EditwCornersI have not always recognized this quality within myself, nor have I always thought of it as beneficial; yet it’s an enduring quality that has been present throughout my life which I am coming to respect and cherish more deeply. It is not my journey in this lifetime to scale Mt. Everest – yet to explore the endless ocean of my emotions, that is more my sort of trip. The challenge of being with the vast unknowns of my inner world are oftentimes uncomfortable, and so historically, harrowing journeys of my inner experience became something I tried desperately to avoid! Yet I am coming to accept that opening to those journeys is where there is beauty and growth.

The minutiae of everyone’s life is caked with beauty and wonderment, and I enjoy reflecting on this fact of life with others. I love when people tell me they enjoy the depths of our talks. It brings me joy to connect in this way and I can only hope it also brings joy to others.

What’s the most precious thing Vajrapani Institute has given to you? In what way is it important to you? Why does it matter?

Vajrapani Institute has given me the precious opportunity to share my gifts. During the 16 months I served as Kitchen Manager, I was able to explore the importance of “nourishment” and what it means to me on a deeper level. Further, I was able to share the fruits of this exploration with others. I cannot say that it was easy – in fact, there were great challenges that arose for me – yet I found the work I did to be fulfilling and meaningful, and overcoming those challenges contributed to my growth. Working in the kitchen gave me the opportunity to be creative, to be loving, and to learn about my strengths and limitations. A key to this experience was the supportive community that surrounds Vajrapani, gently holding the space in which self-exploration is encouraged and valued. The community is so supportive, in fact, that I can still feel its presence from a distance.

Giving our gifts is important in this lifetime; it is what we are here to do. Developing them takes our patience and effort, yet it also requires a situation in which it is possible for others to receive our gifts. How we give may change over our lifetime, yet each opportunity we have to share our gifts with others is deeply valuable. Within giving, there is receiving; Vajrapani Institute showed me this inherent reciprocity.

Our students, volunteers, staff, and visitors gain precious knowledge and invaluable experiences here thanks to the support of all of our donors. This year you can have your donation matched until December 31st. Help us rejoice and bring out the best in everyone!