Solo Sunday best today! Because my family had all changed by the time I was ready for a photo
You know the saying “Act instead of react”? I always thought I knew what it meant but I’m learning a deeper truth of what it means. When I’m reacting, I’m fighting & resisting the present moment. If someone offends me, I immediately get defensive & retaliate. If I feel guilty, I try to justify or blame. If I feel jealous, I find faults or have a negative thought towards that person or others. If I feel pain, instead of accepting that pain I get angry & say “Why is this happening to me? This isn’t fair. This can’t be happening to me.” and resist that pain.
Why do I feel the world owes me nothing but happiness? Who am I to demand only the good and think, “What? Why is this happening to me? This isn’t fair!” Why not? What is fair? Aren’t we all susceptible to pain, temptations & fails? Who am I to say I deserve only fairness when unfairness happens to every one of us? The world doesn’t owe me anything, really.
So when I sit in the present moment, not fighting, resisting or unaccepting, but accepting the pain, the offense, the guilt, the sadness, the jealousy, in it’s whole compass, it’s in that moment when that pain turns into wisdom. It’s in that moment when you’ll hear a gentle whisper in your heart on what to say and what to do. And if you follow that whisper, that is acting. If you react, you’ll do and say things you might regret later on. But if you truly act, you will not regret it.
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Beautifully put!
I am new to your blog and just love seeing all of your recreations!
Thank you for the inspiration!
Very thoughtful post.
our emotional response stems from our thoughts. our thoughts stem from deeply held (and often unconscious) beliefs. When we react and get defensive, it’s often because we are making an assumption about the other persons intent based on our beliefs – our perspective on life. We can choose what we want to believe, we can choose what we want to think. What if, instead of reacting, we choose to assume positive intent? We fall into the trap of believing that what we think is the TRUth, when in fact it’s just a habit of thought. We can choose to think differently.
Thank you so much Ann! So happy you found my blog!
Ooh, I love what you said Lynn, such wisdom! I totally agree with you!