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Is Loving-What-Is Passive?

If I do The Work, and become completely and totally fine with everything, no longer at war with reality….

….what would keep me from lying down on the couch, doing nothing, never planning, not trying, not getting organized, getting little done, never succeeding greatly, or caring about any upcoming activities?

If I love what is, then why bother making a to-do list, or having a goal, or creating plans for a desired outcome?

This is a very interesting question many people have about “loving what is” and what they imagine it might look like.

Could “loving what is” result in Nothing Happening? (Horrors!)

Wouldn’t that be….like….boring, or depressing, or apathetic?

Wouldn’t someone be a new-agey space case if they zoned into loving what is, all the time?

Good question.

And, no.

Notice how the mind will come at “loving what is” from every angle, just to make you doubt the process of inquiry?

I love doing The Work on this very concept….

….that doing The Work would lead to some kind of zombie brainwash, where you never cared or got upset, or made plans.

Who would you be without the belief that allowing everything to be as it is, or even loving what is, will be dangerously lacking in pro-activity or direction, or too passive or nicey-nice?

Who would you be if you really relaxed?

Woah.

I notice the less anxious, the less movement towards thinking about the future, the less focus on whatever terrible thing might happen later, or what terrible thing already happened…

…the more I’m in the sweet spot.

The middle.

Not full steam ahead, not lying on the ground.

Kind of an action, without great effort, without trying to hold back falsely.

“When you move in the Tao, you are always present. Life becomes absolutely simple. In the Tao, it’s easy to see what’s happening in life–it’s unfolding right in front of you. But if you have all kinds of reactions going on inside because you’re involved in the extremes, life seems confusing. That’s because you’re confused, not because life’s confusing….Eventually you will see that in the way of the Tao you’re not going to wake up, see what to do, and then go do it. In the Tao, you are blind, and you have to learn how to be blind.” ~ Michael Singer 

All I know is, the more I do The Work, the more I question what my mind thinks is true and has stories about…

…the less frantic, worried or stressful energy, the fewer detailed plans.

But as Byron Katie says, I still pack my bags if I’m going on a trip, and leave at the appropriate time to get to the airport.

It’s just way more fun doing it.

And if the plane is late, that’s fun too.

Love, Grace

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Really? A New Podcast Called Peace Talk

Oh boy.

I just launched my new podcast called Peace Talk.

It’s a little weird. I’m more of a writer than a talker.

(Although some of my sisters might argue that comment).

But still, it’s been strange to have this podcast creation process unfold.

A friend said “you should do that!”

He connected me with a coach and podcaster and said “tell her what to do”. 

I followed the directions and almost the whole time was watching from the ceiling thinking….

…..“Really? You’re seriously doing this?”

Looks like I am, I said, as I unwrapped the new orange snowball microphone from the UPS box. Looks like I am, I said again, as I ordered an Itunes cover photo on fiverr. Looks like I am, as I watched youtubes of how to get the f*&$ing mic to actually start recording on my laptop.

“Really?” Said the voice.

You have nothing new to share. You ramble. You’re not that funny. People will smirk. 

Looks like I am, anyway.

Perhaps this is one of the living turnarounds that happens when doing The Work.

I just can’t believe the voice saying “Stop, danger-danger Will Robinson, you might get criticized or judged or challenged or exposed! Help! Run for your life!”

(I know, I know, I tell on myself constantly in these Grace Notes, how could I possibly be more exposed?)

Who would YOU be without the belief that you have to be perfect, or even good (heh heh) to launch something?

“I sing because I’m happy.

I sing because I’m free.” ~ Gospel lyrics  

You know that thing you’d like to try?

Who would you be without the belief you can’t do it?

Yippeeeeeee!

To listen to the podcast, search Grace Bell on Itunes in podcasts and you’ll find Peace Talk there.

Notice: if you search “Peace Talk” in Itunes or anywhere, it won’t even come up. It takes a few reviews to have it appear in search engines.

Which means…..I would sooooooooo love you to submit a quick review.

You can just say a few short words, you don’t hafta say much, only that you listened and you’re out there.

I am here to serve and help spread the peace movement, self-inquiry, The Work of Byron Katie, and the message that anyone can discover peace within.

You can too! Let’s do it!

Here’s a quick 3 minute video on how to write a review for a podcast on Itunes:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAv3gq1tjJc

Much love,

with a deep bow,

Grace

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Relationship Troubles? Doing The Work on Mom and Dad Can Help

Many people are aware there’s an impact of their own thinking on their daily life.

You’re thinking about something so deeply, you’re “lost in thought”.

Something uncomfortable happens, a person says something mean to you, you come across a loud argument in the street, you get pulled over by a policeman when driving, you receive sad news on email.

These kinds of situations may be a little more clear.

It just happened this morning, you can feel the way the adrenaline rushed through you, or you got tearful.

But what about the very old experiences, from long ago, way in the past, mostly forgotten.

Except.

You always seem to have the same kind of experience with men who you’re also attracted to.

Or, you generally dislike your bosses or co-workers, the ones who act like “x” (you know the ones).

Or, just when you’ve got some money in the bank, you have a big unexpected expense like your car breaks down.

Something uncomfortable keeps repeating itself, maybe in different flavors or colors….

….but the root of it is very old.

Because it feels familiar, like you’ve been having these kinds of experiences for a long time.

Two of the most powerful people to do The Work on are (drum roll)…..

…..mom and dad.

You may love them very deeply.

It’s not about criticizing them….and they may have died many, many years ago.

But those people carried many beliefs, that they learned from their ancestors before them, and passed them along very innocently.

Some of these beliefs may be creating concern, pain, angst, sadness, longing, or anger around love, intimacy, affection or touch.

It’s likely you caught a few at least.

Just saying.

Still room in the newly revised Our Wonderful Sexuality teleclass starting next Thursday. Sign up by clicking HERE.

Much love, Grace

P.S. I interviewed my next Certified Facilitator of The Work of Byron Katie, my friend Celeste Gabrielle. She is a true example of someone who questioned her beliefs, especially about her father, and changed her relationship to all men. Click to watch it!

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If You Feel Like A Boneless Chicken, There’s Hope

The other day I was listening to a lecture in order to earn Continuing Education Units for my counseling credential where I live. Chicken

I had exactly .25, one quarter, of a credit short before my birthday in a few weeks when all my credits were due. I hunted down a lecture online to learn from, something short.

A long-term psychotherapist, J. Eric Gentry, was offering a lecture. He has worked in the field of trauma for over 30 years.

His message?

Being in a repeated stressful situation, without inquiring, can leave you complaining, unhappy, and very numbly stuck.

You feel irritated and you say “this is a stressful job, a stressful situation, because of _____.”

You have your list of reasons….

….but you might be like a frog who’s been put in a warm pot of water where the heat’s slowly turned up, just slowly enough that the frog doesn’t leap out, but winds up getting boiled to death instead.

You aren’t moving. You can’t move.

So find a place where you feel repeatedly like you’re stuck, and you’ve almost given up.

We perceive something is an ongoing threat….

….and we lose brain functions like reason, clear judgment, fine motor control, speaking up clearly. Dr. Gentry said the sympathetic nervous system is activated and goes on major alert and you freeze (and consider flight).

THE WATER IS BOILING! But I’m too weak or unhappy to even jump out!

BURN OUT.

You say “I can’t take it anymore”!

Martin Seligman, a very famous psychologist, gave dogs electric shocks through the floor, randomly. Eventually, the dogs gave up and lay down, allowing themselves to be shocked, hopeless.

What-ev.

(Picture a teenager holding a “W” up on their forehead for “whatever”.)

Now…lying around like a boneless chicken isn’t necessarily the best experience, right?

One might think “I need to get motivated, I need to get fired up!”

But even an Olympic Athlete doesn’t say “I wish I would be MORE anxious about my upcoming competition.”

Relaxation is valued, interesting, comfortable, and good.

Somehow, we all know there’s a place of relaxation AND joyful action put together, without a big feeling of danger, fear, threat, stress.

I love what Dr. Gentry suggested.

Who would you be in your same stressful situation without tensing up? Without believing it is stressful?

Who would you be with the belief that your situation is hopeless?

Without the thought that it’s dangerous to speak up, try to make changes, or ask for what you need and want?

What if you no longer thought you were trapped, that you were a victim, that you’re stuck?

What would that look like?

“Burnout is a perceptual disorder, a perceptual issue. Nothing is ever demanded of you again. You have no demands upon you. You are free. Yes, your actions come with consequences, but you get to choose…” ~ Dr. J Eric Gentry

WOW!

Sinking into that place where I am truly, deeply free, without any expectation or demand for the outcome, without the clutching, without hoping, without pushing, without feeling stuck that there’s a *right* way, without feeling bossed, without feeling like a victim…..

…..I soften.

“Believing in a solid, separate self, continuing to seek pleasure and avoid pain, thinking that someone ‘out there’ is to blame for our pain—-one has to get totally fed up with these ways of thinking. One has to give up hope that this way of thinking will bring us satisfaction.” ~ Pema Chodron

I turn the thoughts around:

This situation is not hopeless.

I am not trapped.

I am not stuck.

Only my thinking is stuck in a loop-de-loop of no-way-out thinking.

But I myself am free.

Can you find how this is also true, or truer?

Even if your new ideas frighten you….question this. Don’t fall back on the floor again and give up.

You can do this.

“When we stop opposing reality, action becomes simple, fluid, kind and fearless.” ~ Byron Katie

Much love,

Grace

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Worried About Your Kids And Drugs? Start Here.

This coming Saturday afternoon 1:30-3:30 Pacific Time, Todd Smith and I will be doing a mental cleanse jam.

Todd puts these together and he’s the creator. He calls it a Taste of The Work, and it will be awesome. There’s a minimal fee. Come join us! Here’s the link to sign up on Todd’s website:

Click Here to Work With Grace and Todd

*******

Meanwhile, back in the recesses of the mind….

…..not long ago a mom wrote to ask me to write about the fear of your kid getting into drugs.

Who would you be without worrying about your kid?

Soooooo powerful.

These kinds of thoughts about our kids going over the deep end into ANY kind of self-destructive behavior can keep us wide awake at night worrying.

And if you’re worrying…..I can’t recommend inquiry enough on this topic of parent-worry.

(By the way, I’ll be teaching the happy parenting teleclass again this year on Mondays starting February 23rd. We talk about this kind of fear big time).

So the first thing to do when you’re frightened about your kids doing drugs, taking risks, hanging out with people you don’t like….

….is to be willing to open your mind up to the possibility that your kid’s life is not yours to control.

You can’t control it anyway, right?

You already knew that….but in this particular relationship between parent and child, it’s good to first take a deep breath and simply acknowledge it very deeply. They’ve got their own path, their own life to live, their own lessons and pitfalls to go through.

Now, as you sit to write out some of your thoughts and see what scares you the most, this may seem like a really dorky question….

….but why do you want that kid to not get into drugs?

I know, I know….bizarre question.

No one wants their children to suffer, destroy themselves, hurt other people, or die.

But what is actually upsetting about it? Why not?

Write it down.

“I don’t want my kid to get into drugs because _______.”

Then ask the same question again. Why not?

I don’t want it because I don’t want my kid to get hurt. Why not?

I found an interesting place at the bottom of this inquiry. I noticed I wanted my kids to feel really good, do well, not get hurt, not escape into drugs or do harm….

….because then I would be happier, I was sure of it.

But who would you be without the belief that your kid’s life needs to go THAT way (no drugs) for YOU to be happy and stop worrying?

What if there’s something really vital, powerful, and magnificent to be learned and exposed through something going off balance, apparently, like drug use?

What if its an invitation of some kind?

Could there be anything good about a person getting into drugs?

Whew, I know that’s still so strange to consider. But drugs exist. They are part of reality.

Why would that be, do you think? If it’s a friendly universe, why would drug use be in it?

Maybe one reason drugs exist, is to get me to calm down and be more authentic and honest about drug use. I could speak about my fears to my kid and my family, and bring up my own escapist cravings that I had when I was a teenager (too scared to use drugs, but certainly used alcohol and food and cigarettes…two of which are drugs, lets be clear).

I might say to my kid “If you use drugs, I get scared I’ll lose you. I want you to be around so I’m happy!” and we could laugh.

I might ask with great genuine curiosity about my kid’s interest in drugs, open up to an equal, connected conversation about it.

Which is what I did, when I found out my son had smoked pot.

It was a really sweet, wonderful, kinda scary conversation. I was afraid he’d get mad at me bringing it up. But I knew to bring it up.

And I notice, he’s happy, mature, reliable, honest, willing to talk, loving, and alive.

Ha ha!

“I adore my children, and I adore my grandchildren, and their suffering is their business. I let them have their suffering. They can live, they can die, and I love them, that’s what I know. I love them enough to stay out of their business and be present.” ~ Byron Katie

Much love, Grace

P.S. Someone wrote asking if people who are NOT enrolled in the 3 month Eating Peace Program can register for the Eating Peace 3-day workshop. The answer is YES. I think four more spots still available.
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Interviews With Self-Inquiry Experts…My Gift To You (The First of Many)

Wondering what all the fuss is about with this thing called “doing The Work”?

When I first read Loving What Is and tried self-inquiry using Byron Katie’s method….

….I couldn’t really stay on track.

Wait…what’s the next question? How do I do this? What am I supposed to be asking again? What do you mean by stressful belief anyway? I hate that question ‘is it true?’ How the heck would I know?What d’ya mean who would I be without thought? Seriously?

Ha ha!

I could hardly hold still long enough to hold a pen and paper and start writing, let alone sit there and actually DO this thing called The Work.

But that was over ten years ago.

Slowly but surely, with sometimes huge jumps in awareness and a whole new view of the world, other people, and my life….

….I kept being drawn back.

It’s been an incredible and wonderful ride. It has changed my entire world, and my relationship and perception of reality.

But I remember how awkward and confusing it was at the beginning.

So I’m doing a fun new thing, simply for the spirit of sharing and connecting and showing you how other people also have become affected by self-inquiry.

I’m interviewing people, certified facilitators of The Work of Byron Katie (for starters) and practitioners who are change-agents for others……who have personally found joy, awareness, enlightenment and peace through self-inquiry.

I’m recording the interviews, and sharing them with you.

My first guest is Todd Smith, and he is the sweetest!

Our conversation began with a few technical pauses and a discussion of google hangouts, not The Work–all deleted. So it jumps right in at the beginning.

What you get to listen to is our connection in The Work, what Todd learned, how his personal inquiry unfolded, and what it’s like for him now.

Interview with Todd Smith, Facilitator of The Work of Byron Katie
Interview with Todd Smith, Facilitator of The Work of Byron Katie

I’m keepin’ it simple and chill. I offer these interviews for all of our learning and insight.

Enjoy and let me know in the comments below the video how YOU have been affected by the doing The Work.

I love hearing your story!

Together, we all question, we all end suffering and inner and outer war, we all discover the peace beyond all understanding (in a good way)!

“A thought is harmless unless we believe it. It’s not our thoughts, but our attachment to our thoughts, that causes suffering. Attaching to a thought means believing that it’s true, without inquiring. A belief is a thought that we’ve been attaching to, often for years.” 
Much love, Grace
P.S. Lots of classes and opportunities in 2015! Registration is open, even for Breitenbush in June (it will sell out so I recommend doing it soon).
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What If There Is Nothing Wrong? Yes, Even With THAT?

Money 8 week teleclass starts on Tuesday 5:15-6:45 pm Pacific Time. Question discomfort with money, free yourself. For more information or to register, click HERE.

*******

The other day, I got one of my favorite emails from someone who has been enrolled in one of my classes (Eating Peace).

She had experienced a willingness and acceptance, beyond anything she had ever imagined before, of herself and her relationship with eating.

I say “favorite” and sort of chuckle….

….because the emails of concern, or criticism, the ones that say “I’m having a terrible time, I’m so unhappy, I didn’t get what you were talking about” are quite incredible, and always full of learning and awareness for me.

So maybe they are just as favorite as the others.

But the relaxed and inspired feeling within me, when I hear of someone’s personal awakening like this woman who wrote, is so beautiful, precious, and full of love.

I suppose it’s the great practice of life to be with tones of joy and tones of objection from “others” out there equally, fully, inviting everything in, every comment, every spark, thought, observation.

The woman who wrote shared something she suddenly became aware of one day not long ago.

She was eating, and this was the kind of eating when not hungry, the kind that she had normally categorized as crazy, off, a mistake, wrong, dreadful.

But all of the sudden she was watching a person eat.

She wasn’t THE PERSON doing the eating, the thinking, the believing, the agonizing.

She saw the stories, the creation of the inner war….and something was looking at it.

Looking at it without the intense pain.

Actually, without pain at all.

What a beautiful lightness of being, to see from this view.

This view has the capacity to see without judgment, without “knowing” or being sooooooo sure something is wrong.

This woman shared that she even had the thought that if she always had this “problem” with food, she could accept it. She had received a great deal of insight from Mooji (a sweet spiritual teacher from Jamaica).

How strange, right?

Aren’t we supposed to be trying very hard to get over, end, eliminate, or cut out the bad thoughts, the uncomfortable stories, the stressful “off” way of looking at life?

Shouldn’t we be trying, sometimes very very hard, to fix our predicament? Isn’t this problem we’re having a matter of life or death, our success or failure?

Well…..see right now what it might be like if you stopped, and didn’t think the thought that something must change….now?

What if you slowed down, so very slow, and questioned….

….what if you considered the thing you’re looking at without attack, being against it, being so sure it’s wrong…..

…..including this person who you think you are, what you should be doing, where you’ve supposedly failed?

“A thought may arise: ‘It’s okay now, but it’s going to be different when I step out the door’. Already you are anticipating your downfall. Recognize these as just thoughts. You can just watch them, feel their pull yet observe them as a movement in consciousness. Stay put as formless awareness.” ~ Mooji 

Who would you be right now, in this split second, without the belief there is something wrong?

“The key is to be quiet. It’s not that your mind has to be quiet. You be quiet. You, the one inside watching the neurotic mind, just relax. You will then naturally fall behind the mind because you have always been there.” ~ Michael Singer 

What if you called a truce, right now in this moment?

Much love, Grace

P.S. If money incites war, noise, fear, anxiety, frustration, longing, or insecurity….come along the journey to inquire into thoughts about money for 2 months on Tuesdays. Click here to register for money teleclass.

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Everyone’s In A Program–Is Yours Peaceful or Run by a Dictator?

Gosh. Yesterday, I had a slightly sore throat and some sneezing. I stayed up late dancing. I didn’t end up writing my daily Grace Note on New Year’s Day.

That happens from time to time (not doing something I normally do every day).

Sometimes around this time of year, people will think “I am going to do X every single day”!

Or…”I am NOT going to do Y ever! I’m quitting that!!!”

Nothing wrong with either one.

Except if you’re coming from the voice of the dictator….without looking more deeply at what got you into that place where you hate yourself, hate your actions, feel frustrated.

Why have you been choosing to Do or Not Do things you really think would be helpful for your life? What’s up about that, anyway?

You can’t just suddenly decide “Damn it, here’s how its gonna be!” without gathering support and feeling at least a tiny bit of love about it, or willingness to understand your patterns.

Otherwise, like I said, the dictator is running the show.

And you know what happens when the dictator runs the show….

….rebellion. Guerilla warfare.

Casualties.

The other day I heard from the sweetest inquirer who is suffering deeply by trying to drown her feelings in alcohol, food, and self-hate.

I remember having the same feelings on that kind of intense scale, so agonizing.

One of the very first steps anyone can take that can change one’s life, totally and completely, in almost inexplicable ways….

….is to share what you’re feeling honestly with other people.

Say it.

Write it.

Go to a meeting.

Go to a support group, a therapy group.

Do The Work with another person who facilitates you.

Hang out with other people who speak the same language and realize you’re not alone.

“I am hurting. I am dying. I am doing things I actually hate doing, that feel painful. How did YOU stop? How did YOU change? I feel powerless over this. I need help. I need to connect.”

In the end, we’re all working a “program” of sorts.

A program to live peacefully in our own skin. To know serenity. To not have to force ourselves to do anything we don’t want to do. To take care of ourselves in the most loving, kind, unconditional way.

Because you are reading this, because you are a human being, you can, and will, find peace even when you believe it’s not available to you. Reality is the Program.

That’s the way of it. It’s just a matter of time.

“Every being in the universe is an expression of the Tao….The Tao gives birth to all beings, nourishes them, maintains them, cares for them, comforts them, protects the, takes them back to itself, creating without possessing, acting without expecting, guiding without interfering.” ~ Tao Te Ching #51

Notice if what you’re thinking feels horrible, or full of dread….or simple and peaceful.

If it’s the first, then you know that what you’re thinking is Not Actually True.

Because truth feels kind, expansive, open, neutral, mysterious, empty, loving, detached, simple.

Connect with others. Why not today?

You’re on the program anyway, it’s not as hard as you think.

Much love, Grace

P.S. The Work on MONEY, receiving, spending, debt, wealth, what we think money will provide or take away. Questioning your beliefs about money can make all the difference in the world. Click here to register for money teleclass.

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Event Planning Night Sweats

Event planning keeping you awake at night? Inquire!
Event planning keeping you awake at night? Inquire!

The Eating Peace 3-Day Intensive is coming!

I thought this the other evening before bed, and wound up thinking about the people coming, the order of the curriculum, the wonderful exercises planned, the logistics about venue that still need to get tightened up.

I stayed awake an extra hour considering it all, my eyeballs blinking in the dark.

Not exactly stressful, but I did kinda want to go to sleep!

Have you ever had a jolt of great excitement thinking about an upcoming event or big occasion?

Almost everyone has.

Parties, gatherings, performances, retreats, new year’s eve celebrations (ahem), events, vacations, weddings….

….all created with the picture of a wonderful time!

But oh so stressful when you think it has to be good, it has to go one certain way, it can’t rain, it must include certain people, you have to be healthy, you absolutely must have fun….it has to have a perfect outcome.

People get really anxious about upcoming events sometimes….

….even if they’re celebratory, meaningful, fun, life-changing events.

How to stop worrying?

Open up to questioning your beliefs about how it has to go, in order to be good, to be helpful, to be deep, true, adequate, real.

Who would you be without the belief that you know what a good time looks like??!!

Who would you be without the belief that to have a powerful, blissful or meaningful experience, it must include “x” or have “y”?

The other day, I was listening to Byron Katie on recording doing The Work with a woman who reported feeling side-tracked by men who didn’t last. She wanted a solid, committed partner and no more distractions.

Katie asked her “the men you’ve been involved with were distractions…and you were side-tracked…is that true?”

We think we know what our life is supposed to look like if it’s smooth, winning, right, or clear.

Even in spiritual awakening, we might have ideas about how it will look, what the best route is, which direction we’re supposed to be headed, and the perfect end result.

Who would I be without the belief that my retreat in February needs to be at the lodge (that is no longer available…oops)?

Excited for the next venue discovery.

Knowing its unfolding beautifully, and I feel so happy about all the people coming, flying from far corners of the US to attend.

Not anxious or panicking. Feeling excited, humbled, touched.

Even if it rains at your wedding, your plane is late, you have the wrong dress, you get sick, your date cancels, the place is sold out, you’re all alone in silence on your birthday….

….what if it’s OK?

What if it’s more than OK?

Like all the Who-Bodies in Who-Ville singing even though everything they owned was stolen on Christmas.

Ahhhhhh.

“We never rehearsed this

We are a mess

We tremble and perspire

We step on each other’s toes

Sometimes we go out of tune

And forget our lines

But at least this is real

At least we are not half-alive

Buried under the weight of some image

We never believed in anyway

I will always take this imperfect dance

Over no dance at all”

~ Jeff Foster

Much love, Grace

P.S. Still a few more spots in the 8 week teleclass, soooo good, on clearly identifying money beliefs and what they mean for us, and taking them to inquiry. Click here to register for money teleclass.

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Question This Dance, Feel A Bigger Reality

question your thoughts, dance into a new reality
question your thoughts, dance into a new reality

Today I begin my morning with doing The Work for an hour, then going off to dance for joy at an event I offer with my partner every week….Free Form Dance Dance.

I cannot tell you how many little concepts have arisen from offering this dance.

It shows me that having a creative idea, and following the simple directions of bringing that idea into reality….

….brings all kinds of fantastic, eye-opening, brilliant opportunity to watch the universe unfold in a most genius way for my own expansion.

Hilarious.

You may notice concepts and thoughts arise out of things you do, activities you participate in, events you attend, actions you set into motion.

Here are some thoughts I’ve notice come forward for questioning, as I look back over the past two years.

At the very beginning when we started our dance: Oh no, there aren’t enough people here to cover the cost of this magnificent rented dance studio. Help! Alarm!

Once we had offered it for six months: we needed clips to hang some gorgeous fabric from Bali to put a decorative touch in the space, and we needed to laminate the outdoor sign so it stopped getting rained on….but every week we forgot. Neither one done (yet). Dang it, we should remember! What’s the freakin’ problem?! Jeez!

One year into offering the dance: my leg is injured, I can’t go for several months…..waaaahhhhh sad sad.

More recently: someone comes once and leaves early, reporting this dance is not spiritual, one reason being it includes songs with words and songs from childhood. That person is ridiculous, and stuck in her view that x is spiritual and y is not. Growl.

Who would I be without these beliefs that it needs to go THAT way, not THIS way….that other people need to be THAT way, not THIS way….

….that signs, words, dollars, space, rain, music, dancers, movement, time, floor, fabric, thoughts, sadness, fear, remembering, comments, driving, table, broom, numbers, set lists, images….

….would be better the alternate way I see in my mind to the way they are actually going?

What if the way it is going is absolutely genius?

Woah.

So exciting, it makes my hands clap!!

So amazing to be a spectator, even of myself.

Enjoying the way it’s unrolling, beat by beat, moment by moment, step by step, minute by minute.

A dance is happening.

An adventure beyond expectation!

Turning the thoughts around, relaxing back underneath, behind, over, between the beliefs…including them all:

  • Oh yes! We love this so much we will pay for it. This is a gift from us, to everyone.
  • Yay, we shouldn’t remember, until we do–I notice it’s completely wonderful anyway, with or without remembering.
  • Smile, I get to lie still for awhile and participate in deep quiet and rest–it took an injured leg to do it.
  • Halleluia, even this person’s wonderful words of objection are spiritual for me, I get it. It is me, too.
Thank you every moment in this dance.
Could this be true about every adventure? Every journey?
Every moment that produces stress, emotional pain, sadness, irritation, defense, hurt….worthy of stopping to see what is really happening….and what is beyond my thoughts about it?
“It’s so clear, so in love with what is, that it might seem unkind, even inhuman. It cares totally, and it doesn’t care at all, not one bit, not if all living creatures in the universe were obliterated in an instant. How could it react with anything less than joy? It’s in love with what is, whatever form that may take. Reality is neither good nor bad. It’s bigger than good and bad.” ~ Byron Katie
Enjoy your dancing today.
Even if you can only find one tiny example of how it’s an advantage that it goes the way it goes…..finding that example could make all the difference in the entire world.

Much love, Grace

Click here to register for teleclass exploring the awesome dance with money as your partner, and where it appears it isn’t. Tuesdays 5:15 pm Pacific time 8 weeks starting January 6.