Daily Gratitude: Maybe instead of saying “why me?” You could consider saying “what medicine is in front of me that I need?” Or “what lesson am I supposed to see here”?

Ivey mentioned before how much I don’t like telephone calls due to my childhood experience. But a week or so ago, I received a text from Chase indicating I had contacted them. I had not. Needless to say I was concerned that someone was trying to access my account. Without hesitation or thought, I picked up the phone and endured the unbelievable process of trying to reach a human being. As I was pushing this button and then that button, I began to think about the massive change in me that allowed me to make the call. I was shocked. Happy but shocked. It’s taken a long time to get to that point but it happened by having opportunities for making calls stuck right in front of my face for so long. That made this event significant enough (strong enough medicine) for me to face it head on.

What are some of the things you’d do anything to avoid? What “‘medicine” is hidden within?

Daily Gratitude: Chaos! Our country is in a state of chaos right now. I feel it and I imagine you do too. Do you feel helpless and scared? I do. But I also know that it is not doing me any good to wallow in it and be a news junkie. Sure it’s important to know what’s going on and I think too many people have their heads in the sand….but…..it’s our responsibility to take care of ourselves too. And that means to find and do whatever we can to calm our nervous system. One of the best ways to do that is to help others. There’s volunteering or just helping someone on the street. Or just helping a neighbor or someone you see in a store. I’ve used this quite before (i think) but it’s one that we should continually refer to. Lots of people making a little bit of noise will eventually become a deafening roar. So speak up, stand up, act out, encourage and support those you believe in. There’s a reason all those annoying texts come in asking for “JUST $5 or $10”. If you get 100 people JUST giving $10, you’ve got $1000. Be a mosquito in your life but do it as you are also taking care of yourself and not overtaxing or overstimulating your nervous system. If you do that, it will short circuit and you’ll be like a mosquito that flies without paying attention and runs right smack into one of those bug zappers.

Daily Gratitude: I wish more people were aware that they have the power of choice. You can choose to be affected by all that goes on around you or you can choose not to. Do you want to be a puppet in the wind, constantly blown here or there- at the mercy of others? I am pretty sure you’d say no.

Whatever happened to you is over and done. It’s in the past. Why hold on to it? If it was something that you learned from, you can hold on and on to the lesson while letting go of the event and even the memory of it if it brings up negative feelings.

Have you ever asked yourself why you hold on to things that weren’t so good? Do you let those things define you and if so, why? Is this a leftover from your childhood? Is
What happened reminiscent of what you went through when the influential people in your life told you you were this or that. “You’re a bad person if you do x,y,z” “See, I told you you were a failure” “you’re no good at anything. Just a food good for nothing” and so on.

If that happened to you you have to work hard to overcome all of that. The good news, though, is that it is possible. And it’s fascinating if you engage in IFS (Internal Family Systems).

Always remember that you are you and you are not what happened to you