I've noticed...when I have to prepare for something, that I also need to be proactive about it in other ways, too, like considering what I eat, what I take in, what I need to think about (or not think about). I've realized that the thing I will be doing is impacted by how I treat myself in advance. This can be something big, like getting in shape for a big hike or event, or something small like remembering what to eat for lunch because of my workout tonight, getting ready for a presentation, or even simply just meeting with another person.
I've noticed this with regard to involvement with others, too. I need to be clean, in my spirit, when I know I will be in a situation that will require something from me, for the benefit of someone else. In other words, I won't be able to listen as carefully or identify as much what love could look like, if I've been lazy or have compromised myself in other ways ahead of time.
I wonder, too, about the broader implications are of this. When, for example, could I not be prepared for the possibility of my need to be clean or ready for something I don't know about (as opposed to preparing just for the things I do know about)? What if such preparation is more of a way of living, than simply a short-set of preemptive actions tied to any particular activity or event. Besides, what am I really assuming, if this were not true?
What if being prepared isn't as much only a kind of selective 'getting ready' as it is a kind of learned on-going responsiveness to what is going on around me, within me?
