A Light Bulb Moment

I've been picking my nails lately. This is a signal to me that I'm anxious about something. When I finally paid attention in early September, I set aside some time to just sit and think and write.

My resulting list (remember I'm a list maker) included:

• Hot humid summer. Will it ever end? I have no get up and go. I'm always hot and sweaty. I'm miserable.
• Sore right foot. Will it ever get better? What can I do about it? Will I ever get to hike again? I'm in pain and I'm miserable.
• Going to physical therapy doesn't seem to be helping. But ... I have discovered I've lost flexibility in my joints. My ankle is weak. What should I do about that? 
• I know I need aerobic activity for my fitness. (See my foot problem.)
• Is there enough money for my future? I'm afraid there isn't. I'm scared.

My list ended with: I'm paralyzed with fear. I need to Golden Key all of this!

I had lunch with a friend later in September, a couple weeks after writing this list. I was telling her a little bit about it and she said that it sounded to her like I was fearing the future and that I needed to find some way to stay in the present.

That was like a light bulb going on in my head.

And since the middle of September I have been thinking about the present and how I am going to meet each day. Then on October 15, I turned my daily calendar "Simplicity. Inspiration for a simple life." The picture was a placid river with tall golden grass in the background and two rowboats in the foreground. The message was a quote by Buddha:

Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.

I have a loner part of my personality. I love being alone and quiet. I like spending time in my sitting room at home writing, playing a game on my phone, reading or even just sitting quietly. When I get upset, the most important thing for me is regain my peace. I look around for it and then remember it's in me; it's been in me all along.

I've been asking friends about good books to read about staying present. If you have any ideas, let me know.

In the meantime, I know that my peace comes from within me. And all is well.

~ JEAN

Teachable Moments

Recently I received an important reminder from my oldest child.  I was in the middle of a negative rant about the things that were currently “broken” in my life – my broken laptop, my broken car, my broken house.  I was laughing as I spouted on, but I was completely unaware of the impact my words were having on my teenage children, who were riding in the car with me at the time.  At the end of a particularly toxic sentence, my oldest child (17 years old) said, “Mom!  Be impeccable with your word.”  His advice snapped me out of my runaway train of thought.  

“Thank you, Avery,” I said.  “Can you remind me of what that means?”  I knew he would have a wise answer because he is studying The Four Agreements in his Y.O.U. class at Unity.  

“It means you should only use your words for good.”  He went on to say that he has noticed I have been a bit less positive in the last year or so (whoa).  And that was all he had to share.  

I thanked him for giving me such a valuable piece of advice, and the conversation was over, but his words have really stuck with me.  When I find myself slipping into a negative frame of mind and being tempted to allow my mouth to follow suit, I think of Avery.  

I am so thankful that my children are as well-versed in the Unity principles as I am.  Not only because it makes them excellent at at holding me accountable, but especially because their Unity upbringing puts them well on the path to living empowered, fulfilling lives of their own – despite any negativity that life (or their knucklehead mother) might throw their way.  

~Rebecca