Just keep swimming

It’s been a great (and challenging) time for my practice lately.

It’s easy to ‘stay the course’ when things are going well.  But it’s when things are hard that you get to really put into use what you have learned.  And to also grow from the experience.

I must admit at the moment I feel that the ground is very shaky.

And I use that term as it’s one that I’ve seen often used by Pema Chodron in her great books and teachings.

She teaches that at the times when the ground is shaky, are the times that we need to lean into the experience, and to not feel scared and try to resist it.

And I am the worst for trying to resist change (if my friend Loren is reading this she will be laughing in agreement).

So right at this moment when I feel things are so unsettled I’m trying to just accept that, and not fight it.

The biggest issue I face is the knowledge that gossip is being spread about me behind my back that isn’t true (unrelated to my post from yesterday).

It’s stirred so many feelings in me – anger, betrayal, hurt, and indignation.  I want to set the record straight, I want to put out every “fire” where people are being given the wrong information, and set them straight about what really happened.

However in reality I know it’s not possible.  Unfortunately it’s a case where if someone throws enough mud, at least some of it will stick.  And the hard truth is that there is very little I can do about it.

The people that know me well know the truth.  And the people that believe the lies have absolute freedom to do that.  And there’s nothing I can really do to stop it.

I can only hold my head high, and keep my dignity, and have faith in myself.

It’s a good time to really think about things though – as my blogging friend Ben Naga commented – who was the “I” that felt outraged and hurt.

It’s a great time to delve further into it (gently) to figure out why it has hurt me so much.  And to perhaps let that go.

And also for me a great time to just accept the uncertainty of the moment, and maybe even embrace that.

(and in the meantime I’m feeling the love from my cat Milly :p)

 

Things that make me happy

Today’s post is dedicated to things lately that have made me happy, and that I am grateful for ♥

 

Nicole Cody’s Tibetan Singing Bowl – Healing Meditation

I adore Nicole’s guided meditations, and this one is something extra special.  I can still feel the beautiful humming energy of the singing bowl for a long time after finishing the meditation. It’s wonderful for shifting and clearing energy within your body and aura.

Pandora Radio

I only found Pandora Radio yesterday, and I LOVE it.  You can add the name of any particular song or artist that you like and it will create your own personalised radio station with similar songs.  This morning I am loving listening to music from Bob Marley, and The Big Chill.

Getting Unstuck – Pema Chodron Audiobook

A wonderful guide to stop repeating old and harmful patterns of thoughts and behaviour.  And I adore listening to Pema’s kind and compassionate and wise voice.

I would love to hear what things are making you all happy this week.

Blessings,

Meg

Everyday Wisdom #68

 

If we learn to open our hearts, anyone, including the people who drive us crazy, can be our teacher. 

― Pema Chödrön

 

Everyday Wisdom #59

What are we practicing?

The painful thing is that when we buy into disapproval, we are practicing disapproval.

When we buy into harshness, we are practicing harshness.

The more we do it, the stronger these qualities become.

How sad it is that we become so expert at causing harm to ourselves and others.

The trick then is to practice gentleness and letting go. We can learn to meet whatever arises with curiosity and not make it such a big deal.

 

Pema Chodron
When Things Fall Apart

Everyday Wisdom #47

“We don’t set out to save the world;
we set out to wonder how other people are doing
and to reflect on how our actions affect other people’s hearts.”

Pema Chodron

 

Everyday Wisdom #46

By Pema Chodron:

Patience takes courage. It’s not an ideal state of calm. In fact, when we practice patience we will see our agitation far more clearly.

One man decided to train in practice on his morning commute.

He thought he was succeeding beautifully. He was patient when people cut in front of him. He was patient when they honked their horns. When he became anxious that the heavy traffic was going to make him late, he was able to relax with the agitated energy. He was doing great.

Then he had to stop for a woman at a crosswalk. She was walking very slowly.

The man sat there practicing patience-letting the thoughts go and connecting with the restlessness as directly as he could.

Suddenly the woman turned, kicked the car and started screaming at him.

At that point he totally lost his calm and started screaming back.

Then he remembered hearing that in practicing patience we see our own anger far more clearly. He started breathing in for the woman and for himself. Here they were-two strangers screaming at each other-and he felt the absurdity and tenderness of their situation.”

From: The Places That Scare You

Everyday Wisdom #30

Be Grateful To Everybody

If we were to make a list of the people we don’t like-people we find obnoxious, threatening or worthy of contempt – we would find much about ourselves that we can’t face.

If we were to come up with one word about each of the troublemakers in our lives, we would find ourselves with a list of descriptions of our own rejected qualities. We project these on the outside world.

The people who repel us unwittingly show us aspects of ourselves that we find unacceptable, which otherwise we can’t see.

Traditional lojong teachings say it another way: other people trigger the karma we haven’t worked out.

They mirror us and give us a chance to befriend all of that ancient stuff we carry around like a backpack full of granite boulders.

“Be grateful to everyone” is a way of saying that we can learn from any situation, especially if we practice this slogan with awareness.

The people and situations in our lives can remind us to catch neurosis as neurosis-to see when we’ve pulled the shades, locked the door, and crawled under the covers.

 

From:
Comfortable With Uncertainty
Pema Chodron