Loving the Discomforts
It is 15 degrees outside. That’s what reads on my computer screen and from the movement of trees it must feel even colder. 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 write this smiling while shaking my head in amazement!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 four 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. 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. The older I get the more bones create a symphony in the morning time and with the cold…I have an entire opera of crackling.This morning’s blog is not about complaining. It is about acceptance. It's about seeing through the discomforts and loving the parts that bring us there. We will always complain about something or other when it doesn’t align with our comfort. In order to love the light you must also love the dark. It's the composition of duality. Our discomfort 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. When we surrender to grace the mystical part of faith appears. 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 speak from experience: a stubborn characteristic has it’s time and place. It’s not always the best leader!The magic of life is that things pass. 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 am learning to look at discomforts and instead of avoiding them, really figure out the lessons in them. There are always small lessons in our days.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 have returned in our home. Go bundle up and enjoy this day. Keep warm and make peace with those things that you know are only momentary. Mucho love!