New Chapters
The cynic in me can’t stand a good adage. The early bird gets the worm. Actions speak louder than words. You reap what you sow.
Yeesh, enough already with the timeless wisdom. But they’re annoying because they’re all simple and they’re all true!
I can’t tell you the number of times in my life all hell has broken loose and it has felt like a complete disaster, only to have a really wonderful chapter right afterward. In her book You Can Heal Your Life, Louise Hay writes about getting rid of old stuff. She says the Universe loves a good symbolic gesture, like getting rid of old clothes or unused things when we’re ready to make a change. And sometimes, we ain’t ready. Sometimes, life intervenes. Sometimes, the trash takes itself out.
Lately, I have been dealing with hardships of my own, while trying to build some faith. It’s actually been easier than I thought, and I have to credit my commitment to building faith with cultivating some resiliency. I’m not so faithful that I believe “God has a plan for me” - at least not yet. But I am sort of forcing myself to believe that if I focus on Good (or God), that is what I will build. Part of that commitment has to be having faith that things will work out in the long run, regardless of what happens in my life. Easier said than done, but I am doing it.
This weekend my neighbor had a pile of free stuff out on their lawn, so I decided to make one, too. It was actually a lot of fun, wandering around in the house, collecting old things and nicknacks and third-hand furniture, and just setting it all outside to go live another life. Be free! I also prayed my little BLEEP off throughout the day, and the next morning, I felt an enormous sense of relief from some of the stress in my life. The next day kind of felt like the start of a whole new life.
I think about flying on an airplane. There’s only so much baggage you’re allowed to bring on board. We can’t haul the entire contents of our closet onto the plane with us, otherwise there wouldn’t be any lift off. Some of our stuff has to stay behind. Some of our old stuff that doesn’t work for us any more has to be put out on the lawn on the free pile, for someone else to take home and cherish instead. Be free!