Its 6am. Lying in bed newly awake and the head kicks in and starts to think it’s thoughts. I notice it is threat detecting again for me. Here we go. “What about that VAT bill, how will you pay that?!”. Then quick as a flash “Maybe you need to reduce the workforce, that means sacking people, imagine doing that in person just before Xmas, how awful that will feel for you and them”.
I start to feel slightly sunk and anxious inside already in response and noticed some stress starting to activate physiologically.
Wait wait. WAIT.
Am I actually under any threat whatsoever right now this very second?
Here in a comfy bed and with my dog arriving to welcome me to the day all happy to see me. Is this threat my thoughts are presenting actually real? It may indeed be a problem or a challenge to solve yes….and how many of those have I dealt with successfully? All of them. How many killed me? None.
Okay wow, I see that here is an fantastic opportunity to practise. “Welcome to you valuable opportunity”. I appreciate situations where I can hone my skills otherwise I wouldn’t get to develop equanimity.
In fact I actually benefit hugely from that resistance and those obstacles that life presents in order to practice. Is this is what is meant by ‘the joyful participation in the sorrows of life’ I wonder and I start to feel a touch uplifted.
As I’m lying here enjoying this inner turn around in pops a hateful raging email from a rabid neighbour complaining about the painters working on our building. Then another from her son. Their boss is CC’d in too. Yikes. I get a little stress spike.
Then Wowee, welcome to another opportunity. I’m rich in opportunities already and I’m not even up. I notice the temptation to join into their state and fire right back at them. Na, I don’t fancy that.
The painters are fabulously meticulous, and I’m delighted with them. I’m having a different experience and communicate that to them from a centred place and CC their boss in sharing my admiration for their conscientious level of workmanship. Guess I’m not as popular with my neighbour now. Oh well, isn’t it good I don’t need people to like me these days. Go me.
Time to get up, there’s a day happening. Bring it on 🙂
Learning to Rest with it All 