I wrote this a year ago and as the new year approaches, its timeless wisdom bears repeating. I wish I would have had this post handy when I went through a life altering event this year. That one question: am I giving myself to a conclusion that is set against my true desire?, is golden. I’ll let you all read on, and allow the context of it all take shape…
It’s a fresh new year stretching before us. I’m not one to make New Year’s resolutions. I began thinking about something else though and it’s timing just seems perfect for the new year. All the little things that come up that get under our skin, bug us or in one way or another seem to draw us out of what felt like blissful alignment — to all of that — to simply stop and ask yourself this simple question:
Will it matter in a year from now?
I’m thinking just about 99.9% of everything you can resolutely say “no, it won’t matter in a year from now”. Once you’ve determined that, you can drop it and just let it go. Let it return to its “native nothingness”, as Florence Scovel Shinn once wrote, as it means nothing unless you assign it meaning. It, whatever *it* is, is relatively meaningless and not worth your attention and certainly not worth your alignment. When you get down to it, if you are willing to suffer less and be in alignment more then less and less is there any configuration of outer facts or conditions that can draw you out of alignment. The more you step outside of your own suffering, step outside of the dream you are dreaming, the greater capacity you have to repeatedly step outside your own dream.
As for the other .1% or so that will matter a year from now, you won’t feel the same about it a year from now as you do today, as long as you are willing to suspend any judgment about what it means. This means you don’t give yourself to conclusions that are at odds with what you really want. You can check yourself at any time you’re feeling something unwanted by asking: am I giving myself to a conclusion that is set against my true desire? This fosters a self rapport and an inner harmony that will carry you through even the toughest times in life.
Come to life with an open mind, an open heart and a willingness to let a wisdom greater than your own work through you. It does so both visibly and invisibly every day. Today is no exception, this year is no exception. Solutions, answers, miracles happen in an instant and it all flows to us with ease when we let it. The “letting” is the key.
Thanks for this beautiful reminder this morning! I may have allowed myself some silly suffering yesterday…even when I knew I was doing it! But today is a new day….a new year…a new decade…and your words light up my heart!
Thank you Bethie.
Happy New Year sweetie — see you in about 2 months! Love you
ahhhhhhhhhhhh…. letting, love… be. xoam
wow this is FUN there I am LAST year, lol and here i am again. sweet. i posted to my blog this morning about time, giving myself the peace of now no matter what “time” of year it is and most of what you write about reminds me of this same perspective… the things that stand out the most to me in my life are hardly ever the rough spots… unless im in one LOL
this morning i let go of something that i almost didnt, and it was a little flutter of acceptance in my heart that said, yes, this too is go(o)d and so it was and has been and now the day has been sweet
just giving myself permission to say, i dont know. it wonderful!
xoxo AnnMarie
Happy New Year dear sweet AnnMarie. I loved that flutter of acceptance in your heart and that one little comment: giving yourself permission to say. Well you may never know how much that really speaks to me today. So thank you, from the bottom of my heart. Love and smooches into the new year…