I saw a great movie a few days ago called The Sessions which is based on the true life story of a poet and journalist named Mark O'Brien who died in 1999 at the age of 49. Polio left him paralyzed since he was a very young boy, so he spent a good deal of his time in an iron lung that enabled him to breathe.
By the time he was in his late 30's, he had still never had sex or fallen in love, and was eventually inspired to learn about his sexuality with a sexual surrogate named Cheryl Cohen Greene. A practicing Catholic, he initially struggled with this decision but received a surprising amount of support and encouragement by his local parish priest who was able to see Mark's situation with clear and compassionate eyes.
This story is a wonderful example of how one aspect of the Eightfold Path, Right Livelihood, is determined not just by the job or work we do, but through the attitude and intention that we bring to it. Both the priest and the sexual surrogate in this man's life enabled Mark O'Brien to be a full and accurate expression of himself. Both of these people were able to see beyond tradition, habitual thinking, and their own biases and discomfort and offer him the unconditional acceptance and love that opened his heart and changed his life forever.
