Inner Teeter-Totter

Inner Teeter-Totter

When I stop and really think about us, about who we are, what we’ve been through, how we manage, well, it’s close to overwhelming. We can’t countenance it most of the time, we’d all be blubbering about how amazing we are.

I’m not just whistling Dixie, here.We have survived horrific stuff. We have negotiated our way past wicked troubles, healed from dire injuries and illness, climbed out from dark pits of despair.

Each of us has been through something, and yet, here we are. We find ways to laugh, we love each other, we do kindnesses, we allow ourselves to be loved.

Sometimes, our stuff gets out of alignment. We find that it is harder for us to love than be loved, or that it is harder for us to be helped than to help. There are a lot of variations on this theme. We just need to remember that we are not doomed to stay stuck in these places, but we do need to act.

Do you know where you have some imbalances? Do you know that you can start shifting them right now with Creative Questions?

Why am I supportive? Why am I supported?

Why am I loved? Why do I love?

Why am I kind? Why do I accept kindness?

Why am I generous? Why do I receive joyfully?

Why am I excited? Why am I peaceful?

See what I’m doing there -- Balance! You can’t fill a pitcher from an empty cup, so I need to be able both to fill and empty my pitcher. Balancing kindness makes both sides sweeter. Balancing love makes for deeper, more satisfying intimacy.

Balance is often not a daily thing. The same way we may short ourselves on leafy greens for a couple days, and then enjoy them thoroughly, we may find that we have a time when we need more support than we can give. We may feel our generosity exceeds our joyful receiving. Or perhaps our productivity is exceeding our relaxing.

The more I can relax into my natural life, the easier it is for me to find my equilibrium.

Relaxing is hugely important, like high quality protein. There are a thousand thousand ways to do it, the important part is that we relax all the way through.

I don’t know about you, but I discounted relaxing for years as a wussy thing. My goal was to power through my day, and then effectively pass out at night, sleep for a few hours, and do it again. Let me tell you how wrong I was! I still do a bunch of stuff every day. I have things I love to do, that leave me feeling happy and satisfied. And one of them is to really relax.

Breathe. Breathe. Breathe. Relax my feet, my legs, my seat, back, shoulders, arms, hands, neck, face, head. Take a step back from my thoughts, let them flow through my awareness like a cool, refreshing breeze. Relax my emotions, let them soften. Relax my spirit. Allow it to expand.

How have I changed from wondering what the heck to finding a place of equilibrium.

(c) Pam Guthrie 2013 all rights reserved 06132013