On Christmas eve I cracked my sternum bone while preparing a little feast for 3 people. Of course it was unexpected, and it was a circumstance I was not pleased about at first. I assessed the situation, aware that there was no need for emergency room and lots of added discomfort and anxiety, since the only prescription would be rest, moving carefully until full recovery. So I stayed home, my guests assisted with the final preparations and I had a little bit of food while processing the first shock wave of it, physically and mentally. Then I started to expect some good to come from it.
Fortunately I am very well aware of the physiology of what was happening and I also train my mind constantly to look up and take whatever is going on as peacefully and gracefully as I can. It really helps, as a practice, because it permits me to deal with unexpected events in a very different way than most people, or even than my own self in the past.
The secret is in welcoming the unexpected.
By choosing to welcome what is unexpectedly happening, and look for the good in it, I really minimize the pain or the drama that could ensue. It is very simple, really. But it comes with practice.
Say for example, one plans to go out for a picnic with friends, but a storm comes in and a drenching rain makes the outing impossible: instead of being upset, one can choose to welcome the opportunity and modify plans accordingly, without loosing any of the joy of anticipation. After all, a picnic indoors can be fun, it can morph into a cozy meal by the fireplace, or a snack and a movie downtown, or anything that will be convenient at the time for all involved…
By applying this attitude to anything that comes unexpectedly into our life (even what we would have preferred to avoid), we train ourselves and become able to take on any circumstance with a lot more resilience, and grace. We can stay confident and stable in moments of great turmoil, we can find solutions faster when there are some available, or accept the inevitable when nothing can be done. We even can provide a virtual mental haven for others to find comfort into.
I am glad that I took on this practice a while back, and keep on using its transformative power. It makes my whole life better actually. Of course I am not perfectly able to do this 100% of the time. But I do it a lot. That why I call it a practice: the more I do it, the better it gets. Thanks to my mentor and teacher Mary Morrissey, who has been a very motivating factor in this practice, as well as other self-mastery teachers, met or read, along the years, like Louise Hay, and Wayne Dyer, and many more…
At the end of the day, I welcomed my cracked bone as being part of my beautiful life, not separate, not dissonant, but absolutely part of the whole. And perfect because of that.
This month, I wrote specifically about assuming perfection and welcoming what is, in my Magic Happens newsletter which is part of my self-mastery coaching “Artistry of Life”. (read here) You can subscribe to this Magic newsletter for free here: http://eepurl.com/bvbPLr
Happy new year… may you empower yourself and others for more happiness and peace…
More later…