What’s happening that you wish weren’t happening?
That’s your teacher.
What is it there to teach you?
The idea that the person/experience in front of you is your teacher is comforting to me.
The irritating driver, your impossible colleague, your protruding stomach.
Here’s mine.
I recently developed Raynaud’s Syndrome.
That’s doctor speak for frozen, numb, painful fingers and toes when it’s cold.
It’s eliminated my usual outdoor fall and winter walks.
And getting food out the freezer requires slippery woollen gloves.
I’m told there’s no cure and I won’t take meds.
Best my doctor could do was tell me to go back to South Africa!
I will find a cure.
I believe that there’s always a cure.
Sometimes it just takes time and persistence to find it.
Anyway.
I recently received some advice.
I was telling a body-oriented therapist that my feet were frozen.
Usually, when they’re frozen, I focus on it a lot because it really hurts.
Instead, she asked me if any part of my body was warm.
Yes. My arms.
“Focus on your arms.”
Almost immediately, my feet started to tingle, and the iciness started to thaw.
I’ve tried this many times since.
They always start to tingle.
Sometimes they thaw completely.
Other times they’re still numb but it doesn’t hurt as much.
Here’s what my Raynaud’s has taught me so far:
When we focus on what we don’t want,
whether it’s frozen feet, excess weight, or an unlovable boss,
we get more of it.
When I focused on my pain, the discomfort just stayed there until I was near a heater.
When we focus on what we do want
And find evidence for it somewhere in our body or our life
What we want becomes our experience.
Even if that unwanted thing doesn’t go away
It’s no longer what we’re focusing on
And therefore no longer causing us pain.
Where can you shift your focus from what you don’t want
To what you do want, and already have?
Maybe you’re celebrating Christmas tonight?
What will be your teacher here?
Maybe you aren’t, what will be your teacher here?
xoxo