Easy Does It

Easy Does It

I have believed some really dumb stuff in my time. Really. Dumb. Stuff. I have, I am relieved to report, dumped a lot of those beliefs, and, boy howdy, is my life better for it.

One of the beliefs I had was something like, if I relax, I will fall to pieces.

I kind of had the idea that I was holding it together by sheer force of will. I kind of thought that if I let go, I would lose my mind, or go on a rampage, or maybe just die. I really was a drama queen.

And I really was terrified.

I am both amazed and saddened by how many of us are so afraid. One of the things we fear is looking into our past.

I will preface my next remarks by saying that I know we are all different. I know that we each have our own, best way, and that my way may not fit with your way.

Ok. First off, your past has already happened to you, and you survived. For many of us, looking at our painful past, feeling our way to the end of that particular trauma, makes us feel extremely much better. This is what I’m talking about when I talk about cleaning out the emotional basement.

Second, unfinished stuff in our past uses up energy; psychic, emotional, and spiritual. Can you spell “tired?” Holding all that old, open-ended junk is very taxing. And it takes a huge toll on our physical bodies.

Third, denial is dangerous. It can put us in situations where we can get really hurt.

Fourth, grownups face their crap.

I used to think I wanted to “be” enlightened. I thought it was a destination, I thought it meant that somehow I would be fixed. Poor me. It really helped to meet a real saint, in Kathmandu, who had kidney disease severe enough that he couldn’t walk, although wasn’t suffering from it, if you catch my drift.

Now, I think of “enlightenment” as the process of lightening up my life, clearing the crap out, cobwebs, skeletons, secrets, paper, limiting beliefs, loans, resentments, griefs, old spaghetti, cat poop, fears, and broken junk. Why is it so easy?

One of the things that I can do is relax. My being stressed, tense, clenched, upset, anxious, and so on, does nothing to help whatever the situation is. For me, I needed a lot of help learning how to relax, starting with my muscles. I mean, I actually landed at the Mayo Clinic with acute chronic nervous tension. I hope you are way more relaxed already than I was. Shoulders, belly, and jaw are good places to start.

How have I changed from fighting it to relaxing into the easy flow?

(c) Pam Guthrie 2013 all rights reserved 08132013