Awaken to the Reflection

The biggest stressor ... aside from the uncontrollable environmental factors which I'll say a bit more on that at another time ...

Your biggest stressor is your perspective of an experience you have with another person or situation.

Last night, my son and I were speaking about many things, yet the symptoms of COVID came up which included a remark about the loss of smell and taste.

I quickly interjected (because that is how conversations go with us .. quick inserts of an 'off topic' thought) the point that it is EASY to restore the sense of smell ....

Have I mentioned that I possess a deep passion for the purpose of essential oils?

Without missing a beat, he dismissed my comment with agitation.

My immediate .. and I mean instant ... reaction was feeling incredibly hurt by his annoyance. I felt everything inside of me coil up and it was everything I could do to be present, attentive and remain in the conversation.

Without question, this dismissal set off my inner alarm system.

When I returned to the privacy of my own mind and space, I became curious about the wrenching I felt at my core.

The familiar and automatic response we've become accustomed to is to focus on him. 'How dare he? You're his mother!' and so on ...

Years ago, I rolled with these thoughts. It used to feel good to commiserate with the people I knew that believed like I did. Blaming him for the way I felt. Judging him for being an arrogant butthead. This was my MO (method of operation) until I realized that commiseration is nothing more than a short-term fix ... temporarily relieving the discomfort of interpretation.

The long-term result was feeling horrible for even thinking such things. Yet, I wasn't fixed. I was unaware and NOT getting the message. So, I repeated the very same scenario ... over and over and over ... convinced the world doesn't care for what matters to me.

Feel free to pull out the mini violin ...

As I rinsed and repeated these scenes ... something I call ... same soup different bowl .same soup different bowl ... I felt shame for speaking up as well as for being inconsiderate in return behind the person's back.

Said another way, I instinctually, although unknowingly, stressed myself out.

In the case of last night, I followed a different path which turned me inward to find out what God Consciousness was asking me to see and experience.

Can I be inconsiderate and disrespectful? Absolutely. I used to be very inconsiderate with others behind their backs (as I mentioned BUT more importantly, I can be inconsiderate and disrespectful with myself with negativity.

Seeing myself in him (not because he's my son ... I do this with everyone I have a challenging reaction to) softens the moment. It brings grace and light to a situation.

I also learned something about communication. I greatly admire people who are present to a conversation yet say very little until it's their time. I've longed to be that person. You know what? There's nothing to long for. It's simply BE what you wish to BE.

I do not need to insert my 'work' into a situation. NEED being the key word.

Needing to be a certain way or do a certain thing is an emotional reaction. It's what addictive behaviors are rooted in. This isn't a bad thing, it's a strategy for survival. That's ALL stress is.

Stress is your survival mechanism!

Stress is how Nature survives. And you are Nature

Think about NEED in the context of a 'do or die' situation. There is a NEED for you to do what's NECESSARY. However, there's no need to need something at all times ... so the invitation is to begin asking yourself: 'What do I need this for? What am I trying to survive? What am I Truly seeking?

In my case, God Consciousness was reMinding me to make peace within myself. To remember I am whole as is. When I recognize and respect mySelf I am in a state of ease.

Don't get me wrong. I enjoy accolades, however I no longer need them to soothe myself.

Trying to survive every moment is hard on the body. It is a dis-eased state that leads many to work even harder to earn acceptance because in the privacy of their own mind, they live with beliefs that automate their behaviors.

Need is a greed when unconsciously relied on ... and you will create the perfect circumstances for you to awaken to the you that God Consciousness knows you to be.

Have a blessed day!

“Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakens.”

Carl Jung