Sometimes even the 'best good boy' needs to explore the edge ...
And God said, Let there be light; and there was light. Genesis 1:3
You give energy direction. When you focus on something, you magnetize raw energy. Gregge Tiffen (The Language of a Mystic: Originality - January, 2009)
Continuing the theme started last week (http://cindyreinhardt.com/blog/a-sound-beginning), the Bible as a code for how to operate on our planet, directing energy with awareness and clarity is the means by which we create joy and deep satisfaction in life. Developing the skill to do so masterfully is perhaps the most powerful learning opportunity of life.
When we direct energy with awareness and clarity, we stay in the driver’s seat and avoid the ‘woe is me’ path of victimhood. This doesn’t mean things always turn out the way we want. And, for sure, it is not about controlling others or even events.
It is about learning to take and experience life step by step with each step leading to the next. It is the recognition that I’m always directing energy. If my experience seems off course, I can choose to be angry, fearful or frustrated or I can choose to reevaluate and redirect the energy available to me. If I’m feeling that the world is against me and throwing too many obstacles my way, I can take the time to remember that I alone am in charge of me.
As he so often does, my teacher, Cool Hand Luke, provided just such opportunities this week. I humbly admit that my initial reaction when he disappeared during a morning walk was worry. Although I was calm, the situation was in control. I was in reactive fear. So reactive that, without thinking clearly, I walked home to get the car, returned to the area where we’d been walking and drove down a road that never sees a snow plow in winter.
Not a good choice, especially in the absence of awareness and clarity and direction. You’ve probably guessed that I got stuck in a snow bank when I attempted to back out. In my reactive, doing mode, I hadn’t taken time to give direction to the energy available to me, and I wasn’t paying close attention.
I see this now, in hindsight. In that moment, a call to a friend for help provided the reminder that I needed (and a suggestion as to who could get my car out of the pickle I’d created). “You need to be home. Luke knows his way around. He’ll be back. Take some deep breaths.” And so I did just that. I took a breath. I began to walk home remembering that while I had no control of the outcome, I was in charge of the energy available to me.
I’d like to report that Luke was waiting on the porch by the time I got to the house, but that wasn’t to be. It was an hour or so before he bounded up the steps (muddy, cold, matted with stickers and a very upset tummy – he apparently had quite an adventure in the snowy woods). I welcomed him with open arms and a joyful heart. Not a trace of anger emerged in the two hours of tedious clean-up that followed. In that period of waiting, I made a clear choice. I let go of the expectations and plans I’d had for the day. I put my focus on love and care for both of us.
Just as I finished cleaning Luke up and settled him in his kennel to rest, help with the car arrived. Within a few minutes an easy tow and turnaround had my trusty vehicle back in her berth. Life had presented me with a day of unplanned opportunities. It was time for gratitude and a nap.
Although it is simple and in our design as humans on this Planet, mastering directing energy is not a single lesson we learn, but rather a commitment to lifelong learning through practice. As I learned this week, it starts with simply remembering that the energy is ours to direct.
Great place for a canine adventure!