Finding Peace in Discomfort
It is 18 degrees outside. That’s what reads on my computer screen. I don’t know. To me it might as well be -5. I am allergic to the cold weather. Why do I live on a mountain, you ask? Well, we came during spring and moved in summer. I never experienced the cold. Had I been here during a 25 degree morning it would’ve been the end of my expedition to Western North Carolina! God had other plans.I come from a tiny island in the Caribbean. It is always warm. I was raised in South Florida. Sixty degrees for us Floridians is like 20 degrees for everyone else. We get out the jackets, scarves and boots. I know I am acclimating to this weather after three years because when it is 50 degrees here I am in tank tops and shorts.I have been told that my problem with cold weather is the lack of clothing. I don’t like to bundle up. I hate wearing layers of material. The other day as I was winterizing my closet and I was changing my sundresses to another space I became rather discontented. I don’t enjoy the thick sweaters on my skin. I don’t like the amount of extra crap rubbing on me. It just isn’t a part of my DNA. I like flowing and light fabric on me. I love feeling the sun on my shoulders, arms and legs. I like to get up and go and not worry about hypothermia.This morning’s blog is not about complaining. It is about acceptance. We will always complain about something or other when it doesn’t align with our comfort. It can be about a job. It can be about a relationship. It can be about a new pet. Whether or not you embrace the issue is not as important as making peace with it. Is there a difference? You betcha! I can embrace a person who is annoying me and still feel nothing. The moment I find peace in their presence…then I am embodying their entire spirit. See the difference? It is about making peace with everything around you. You don’t have to like it. But, if you accept the discomfort and learn from it then you have given yourself the permission to find serenity. Our egos have a hard time letting go of discomfort. The ego will nag about it. It will create drama, twist and turn, churning the simplest issue into the most complicated event. Ego will always participate in the large spectacle of narcissistic behavior. “Look at me. I am so freaking tired of this and that! Woe is me! Can’t you see how miserable I am!”The cold is just like any other uncomfortable emotion. It doesn’t feel good. Depression, sadness, anger, anxiety, fear, and helplessness are unpleasant feelings. We complain about them, sometimes allowing them to stay with us for a while. But, just like the cold, there are options to eliminating them. The ego will fight that rationale to no end. “No, I’m not going to the doctor! Nope, I am not going to talk to someone! Absolutely, no way, am I going to address this crap!” The emotions become waves of icy water passing through. Just like hypothermia there can be casualties.I have to go outside to drive my daughter to work in this wonderfully delicious Siberian weather. As I venture to the unknown wilderness of discomfort I will make peace with the achy bones, runny nose, and the shattering of my teeth. It is only for a short while. What’s three to four months in a lifespan? Really not bad! Imagine all the discomforts we allow for ourselves in our lifetimes! Think of all we “put up with” for years when we have choices we can make to change.I love these mountains. I love the seasons (minus the winter) but I can live with the cold. However, I refuse to live with anything else that brings me discomfort. I won’t tolerate long periods of putting myself through chaos. Peace and tranquility are my roommates now. Go bundle up and enjoy this day. Keep warm and make peace with those things that you know are only momentary. Mucho love!