What Color is the Sky?

What Color is the Sky?

We are so cute. We get ideas about the world, and have thoughts about those ideas, and then, we sift out anything that doesn’t match those thoughts, and we convince ourselves that  the world matches that idea.

“What color is the sky in her world?” is a snarky question I’ve been known to utter when annoyed with someone whose viewpoint is different from mine. But there’s value to that question, if it gets us looking at our stuff.

Why would I choose to be aware? What makes me notice?

Years ago, I realized that I had stopped losing sunglasses. How adult of me! I was kind of thrilled, and bought myself a pair of pricey pink-lensed aviators. I loved those glasses. Still do. They gave the sky a rosy glow, and I delighted in discovering that rosy glow could shift my mood up a couple notches. I found a pair of pale yellow-lensed glasses that I wear on cloudy days. They cut the gray-blue light in my sky and my mood can shift up a couple notches, or more.

As physical beings, we have physical reflexes. We are responding to stuff around us that we may have no awareness of at all; low, constant rumblings can leave us feeling uneasy and off. A pink tint can cheer us. Certain scents will lift our spirits while others can bring us down. If we smile a full-bore smile for a full minute, our brains start releasing feel-good chemicals. Mechanics.

Thoughts are ephemeral, but they produce physical responses. Often, when we get those responses, we look for reasons to have them “out there.” Because that’s what we are looking for, that’s what we find.

Why do I choose? What makes me decide? Why do I find what I seek?

So, when it comes to stuff like feeling included, or accepted, or honored, how much of that feeling comes from you accepting me, and how much of it is what I’ve made up about how the world works?

I’m sure we could do a study, but I would just as soon go with my own experience.

When I look objectively at my experience, and take responsibility for it, I can run my show. Granted, I’m always running my show, but it’s mostly from an unconscious place. I don’t know about you, but I find my unconscious mind to be a little bit unreliable. I would rather it not be in charge.

So I take charge. Then, what? What do I want? How do I want it? How will I know I have it?

How do I know I am wanted? How do I feel when I feel accepted? What makes me welcomed?

Asking good Creative Questions gets them into our brains. We don’t need to “hear” answers, just ask the questions. As we choose awareness, we start noticing how we feel, and how the answers to those questions change things for us. We are choosing to run our own show.

How have I changed from unconscious living to living the life of my choosing?

(c) Pam Guthrie 2014 all rights reserved 01212014

Highs and Lows

Highs and Lows

A particular topic has come up in my space several times this week, as they do, and I drew the best card to let me talk about it, so I will.

The card I drew is, “Why am I happy?”

Happiness is not for the weak or faint of heart. Being happy in a world where the norm is grim is a daily challenge. Our culture worships fear and anger, nurtures depression and, for all it’s talk about wellness, lavishes attention on illness, suffering, and disease.

Happy people provide less profit. Misery is a better consumer. But I digress.

The topic that came up this week was pessimism and optimism.

Each side, if you will, thinks the other side is wrong. Each side feels a little smug about knowing the truth.

We always run into trouble when we deal in extremes. (Heh heh, did you notice that I used the word, “always?” Never do that. Heh heh, did it again.)

I am, for all my talk of happiness, not an optimist. I do not believe this the the best of all possible worlds. Nor am I a pessimist believing that the world is inherently evil. Maybe I am an opportunist, since I look for opportunities. Or maybe I will mint a new word and call myself an appreciationist, starting my morning with a nice little list of appreciations. But I digress.

I am quite capable of thinking thoughts so horrible that Mr. King would blench. When I do that, I feel bad. I don’t know about you, but I don’t particularly like to feel bad. I would, most of the time, rather feel good.

It’s not ethics or ethos. It’s not morality or being right, it’s physiology. Thoughts are energy. They vibrate, if you will, at various frequencies. When I am thinking crappy thoughts, they vibrate low. Low vibrations correlate with emotions like fear, anger, disgust, contempt. When I am thinking uplifting thoughts, they vibrate high. High vibrations correlate with happiness.

When I am all frowny, or slumpy, or, to use a phrase that’s making the rounds these days, have a bitch-face on, I will have a corresponding emotional response, which, in turn, will create icky feelings.

When I think of things that make me smile, when I am uplifted, I have a corresponding emotional response, and corresponding feeling of well being.

Physiology. Why would I choose to feel good?

Remembering that the cultural norm is to feel bad is helpful to me because I like to feel like I’m bucking the system a bit. Remembering that of all the fundamental seven emotions; angry, sad, happy, scared, surprised, disgusted, contemptuous; only one is light, is helpful to me because I like a little challenge.

Happiness is a grownup emotion. Are you mature enough to handle happiness?

How have I changed from wallowing in low vibrations to revelling in high vibrations?

(c) Pam Guthrie 2013 all rights reserved 11052013