Greetings,
Well life is certainly our teacher. Every moment seems to have some sort of "letting go" involved. If we are going to find peace we have to keep releasing one preference after another as we give into what happens.
I certainly had my teachings last week. It wasn't my preference to take a few days off from writing, but as is often the case, life needed me to show up in a different way than I wanted. Thank you for your patience with my not so daily, daily inspirations. I trust you know my commitment and they will keep coming as they can. They will be frequent most the time.
Every day is full of possible practice moments every time we feel the complaining, critical, condemning mind engage. Our negative feelings show us specifically what we need to heal and where the light needs to shine.
That's why conscious evolution is referred to as enlightenment. It's a peaceful, wise and loving freedom that comes when the light of your awareness keeps you awake in the knowledge that all your negativity is a misunderstanding, allowing you to consistently transcend its influence in every moment.
What other lessons came my way last week?
The move took me 4 days longer, it snowed the first day of spring, the truck's wiring didn't work, the move didn't get finished, I spent more money than I planned, and I had 20 other unexpected problems. They were all circumstances teaching me to let go.
I also had a lesson in managing the guilt my condemning mind was creating for not writing. I felt wrong, even though to take a break was the only sane and healthy choice. When I felt the guilt and consciously observed it, I corrected the thinking that I was wrong and replaced it with the truth that I deserve to meet my personal needs in spite of my desire to write, and we all will benefit.
That was simple logic, and once I remembered it, my critic was disarmed and I was able to deny it.
My practice was to see the feelings, correct the thinking, then let go of the grip the guilt had on me. This is how our demons turn into angels and show us the way to peace and happiness.
Letting go of my guilt, and letting go of my agenda were just a few of the many things I had to let go of in the last week. It seems all of our teachings include some form of letting go, because every situation has its own life force and meaning that we can't see yet. We aren't supposed to be controlling everything. If we could look into the future and see the great gifts that will come from our disappointments, we wouldn't want to change a thing.
The bottom line is we need to expect life to surprise us. It happens all the time. "Life is what's happening to you while you're making other plans." We need to embrace this and stop expecting life to follow our stories, plans and agendas. When we do we will can turn each moment into a treasure hunt and get curious about what is going to change next, instead of dreading our plans being spoiled. We will be so much happier.
For instance: In spite of all my plans falling apart I had an amazing and productive time, that was beautifully rich and rewarding in ways I couldn't have ever planned. It was all "different" than what I imagined, but turned out to be better than I could have imagined in many great ways.
It is said, "Our ideals are the death of reality." When we compare what is really happening, to what we think "should" be happening, we focus on what's wrong and suck the life out of the present moment.
When you notice your comparing and complaining, turn your focus to what is good about the situation instead of what you want to change. Gratitude is always the antidote for our negative judgments or comparisons.
So let's get flexible. We need to admit life is unpredictable and live in the present as it comes to us. Try to remember the wisdom of your observer as you live each moment, and meet the surprises of life "as if you expected them".
Live in acceptance, stay unattached, and get comfortable with the insecurity and unpredictability of life. Don't give up your dreams or desires, just hold them lightly and let them guide you. Our authentic, healthy passions guide us forward in our lives.
There is a great line from the movie: Six Degrees of Separation, where Stocker Channing turns to George Sutherland and says, "George: Truth or illusion? We don't know the difference but we have to act as if we do."
This seems like a true reflection. As long as we remember this as we follow our longings, we won't feel so defeated and won't need to complain when life takes us in a completely different direction that what we had planned.
So don't fret when your plans change, see the change as a teacher, let go of your resistance, regroup, and attempt another strategy. Follow your bliss but don't follow it over a cliff by being attached to an outcome, and trust that the journey will eventually lead you to somewhere meaningful, even if it doesn't end up following your story or looking the way you thought it would.
Please take 5 to 10 minutes everyday to rest, breathe, meditate and reflect. Every effort and moment will be a significant investment toward a happier future.
Peace to you,
Bryan
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