Like any human being, I don’t always care for the circumstances and curve balls life throws at me. My question is, are they really curve balls and cosmic 2 by 4’s that bang us on the head?
Maybe so — it always gets my attention. Yet sometimes it is still difficult to accept what is.
Over the years I’ve known many sober addicts and alcoholics (myself included) who continue to struggle with acceptance. People, places and things aren’t meeting our needs or wants. Life happens, we experience and feel all sorts of emotional pain, and the big picture is out of our control. Why do we fail to remember there is a greater hand at work?
I am but one thread in the canvas of life. I am part of …..not the whole story. It is my choice to make to a difference and contribute something of value — or not. I can spend days and months whining about how unfair everything is — or choose to be patient and see what the next moment brings. Sounds simple, but letting go is never easy and I sometimes have a built in forgetter.
In his book Enough Already, Alan Cohen says,
“To keep pain from becoming suffering, minimize resistance. Decrease indignation and increase allowance. Quit trying to manipulate others, and manipulate your viewpoint. Find beauty, value and purpose in what is before you. Let yourself be what you are, and let life be what it is.
You might find many gifts laid at your door that you would have otherwise overlooked.”
I need to memorize that.
Happy Spring!