FLAGCOUNTER

Embracing Uncertainty

There are certain quotes that not only touch our hearts, they also wake us up and make us take notice. Certainly, the following quotation that I found in The Path of the Warrior by Chogyam Trungpa is one of them.

"Look. This is your world! You can't not look. There is no other world. This is your world; it is your feast. You inherited this; you inherited these eyeballs; you inherited this world of color. Look at the greatness of the whole thing. Look! Don't hesitate-look! Open your eyes, don't blink, and look, look-look further."

This wonderful quote is a gift. It hits us in the face with the realization that most of us are asleep when it comes to the "greatness of the whole thing." We are given so much but we appreciate so little.

Part of our lack of focus on the beauty of it all is the intrusion of the thinking mind. Of course, the thinking mind is a very valuable thing. For many of our needs, it serves us well. But there are those times when it seems as though it is trying to drive us crazy! In the Hindu tradition, this undisciplined mind is likened to a drunken monkey. In Feel the Fear And Do It Anyway®, I was kinder. I named this incessant voice, "the Chatterbox", and for good reason...it never stops chattering! And almost always, it is chattering about negative things! When the Chatterbox is rattling on, our head is too cluttered to take in the abundance all around us. And if we don't take in the abundance of the now, we become more and more fearful that life is passing us by...and it is!

Let me now give you an exercise that will help you empty your mind and allow you to be fully present in the "now" so life won't be passing you by. I invented this exercise while on a beautiful walk near my home in southern California. There was wonder all around me, but I couldn't take in any of it. My head was a swirl of clutter, which included thoughts of contracts, deadlines, decisions to be made, and on and on and on. At one point, I thankfully became conscious that the incessant clutter was preventing me from seeing or hearing or embracing all the wonder around me. Here I was taking a beautiful walk, but because of the clutter in my head, there was no room for the joy.

I then asked myself a number of very important questions, "What would happen if I could get rid of all the clutter swirling around my head. What if I could let it all simply float down like swirling snowflakes? Would that help?" So, as I walked, I imagined the swirling clutter as "snow" settling down until my head was totally clear...totally empty. Relief, indeed!

But there was more than just relief. All of a sudden, I was able to embrace the glorious scene around me...the expanse of ocean, the magnificent weather, the color of the flowers, the striking cloud formations, the smell of eucalyptus, the palm trees "waving to me" in the breeze, the people running, walking, skateboarding, biking, enjoying the day. Instead of being removed from the scene, as one usually is with clutter in the mind, I became a part of it all. My mind became filled with the beauty...and gratitude welled up in my heart. What had I done to create this miracle of vision? It was very easy. I simply made room for my head to take in what was happening all around me.

The image that came to mind was one of those "snow domes", the little glass balls that you can shake up until they are filled with flakes that look like snow. When you stop shaking the dome, little by little, the specks float to the bottom until the glass ball is clear. With a clear-as-glass mind, we are able to embrace the "now". I suggest that you try this little exercise the next time your mind is taking you away from the present. As you become conscious of the Chatterbox trying to drive you crazy, just imagine your head as a glass ball filled with flecks of unwanted thoughts. Then imagine these flecks slowly settling down until your mind is clear and you can be in the moment. Here are a few examples:

You are watching a good movie, but your mind is cluttered with thoughts of all you have to do at the office tomorrow to prepare for a meeting taking place next week. A good example of life passing you by! Let these thoughts float down so that you can actually enjoy the movie!

You are taking a beautiful warm bath, but your mind is on the problems one of your kids is having at school. Let the thoughts float down and let in the awareness of the warm water soothing your body, the scent of the beautiful bath salts you have sprinkled in the water, and just focus on the blessed moment of peace. You will deal with your child's problems better in a peaceful state of mind.

These simple examples show how you can actually transform your experiences as you clear your head and allow yourself to be more vibrantly present.

I know that these examples may seem frivolous and that many of us live in very difficult circumstances. It is important for us all to know that the more difficult the circumstances in our lives, the more valuable is this little tool. No matter what our lives look like, there are ALWAYS things to appreciate. I worked with the poor in New York City for many years and they taught me a lot about how important gratitude was for healing the hurts and being a force for good. They showed me that when the mind is able to focus on the good, the bad doesn't seem so bad any more. An added advantage is that when the mind is cleared of the negative clutter, we are better able to change and heal what isn't working within and around us.

Given all of the above, you may want to buy yourself one of those little glass balls to jog your memory as to how important an uncluttered mind is. How quickly we forget! I thank my friends Trevor and Sue for buying me one years ago...I enjoy looking up from my desk and seeing it there. I shake it up often to remind me how clutter blocks my vision and how clarity not only opens my eyes to the beauty all around me, it allows me to feel more at peace and helps me to actually "get into this world" in a more meaningful and wonderful way.

So don't let life pass you by. In spite of what may be happening, from this moment forward, let your eyes focus on the beauty that is there. Always remember the wonderful words of Chogyam Trungpa..."Look at the greatness of the whole thing!" Wow!!!

© 2008 Susan Jeffers, Ph.D.
Adapted from Embracing Uncertainty