Power to Choose
Today did not start the way I would have liked.
I didn’t sleep well, spending a couple hours awake in the night. I woke because I was hot, and got caught up thinking about some things. And so I got up later than I intended, not leaving myself time to fit in a morning walk, or properly shave in preparation for the event where I would be teaching. My hip hurt from an ongoing problem related to running. I quickly discovered that my dog had used the kitchen floor as a bathroom in more than one place, and had also somehow scattered her food everywhere. I couldn’t find something I needed, and I was worried about being prepared enough for the event. And then I remembered I hadn’t prepared at all for the change they’d informed me of days before.
I felt like yelling at the dog, complaining to my partner, and criticizing myself.
And then I remembered that in a hour I would be guiding a meditation about self-awareness and choosing how we respond to our circumstances.
So instead of yelling and complaining and criticizing, I told myself,
“Today, I will choose to practice generosity and kindness, even though I don’t feel like it. It might be difficult, but it is important. I have the power to make that choice.”
By the time I was telling this story, I was feeling much better than I did an hour before. My day with my partner and my dog started with love. I had also found something I could share with the people joining the event, a source of human connection and appreciation.
When we practice awareness, it also gives us a chance to reflect and to learn. This helps us to go into the day knowing our starting point and being more open to whatever happens.
Noticing the thoughts and feelings that are there can give us information about what is important to us, and also about what can distract us from what is important.
If we have this kind of understanding, we can also make choices like, “Even though i feel this way, it is important to me to be kind. Even when I feel angry, I will choose to practice kindness.”
Of course, we can’t always be successful in doing that either. But by practicing awareness, we can at least get better at noticing and trying again. No matter what we are thinking and feeling, we can pause to connect with what is important. And that brings purpose and power to our lives.
