There is never anything to fix
There is never anything to fix as there is never anything broken.
Brokenness in itself is created from the illusory nature of thought.
So how come I see brokenness and things that need fixing, around me.
As we sit in the midst of a global pandemic, many of our habitual ways of being have been redefined; not having the freedom to travel, to visit family and friends, to go to the gym, go out to eat or the cinema, or even in some countries have our children attend school.
This is not the way life was “supposed” to be. These somewhat simple acts as mentioned above, things we have got so used to having in our life have, because of something outside of us, been limited or completely taken away.
For many of us, these elements of our life that we have for so long taken for granted, having now been taken away, can cause us to become anxious, frustrated, angry, bitter.
Similarities can be drawn in any area of our life where circumstances have changed and we now are unable for whatever reason to do the things we used to do, or be with the people we used to be with, or live where we used to etc etc.
And it is in this……” I want to do this”…… “but I can only do this” ….. The space between what was and what now is, that can be the cause of so much of our angst.
So much of life can sometimes still look like it needs fixing, like there is something we need to do in order to have a better life, in order to be happier, in order for our children to be better behaved, or the drivers on the road to be courteous, or …….. fill in the blanks to whatever we are attributing to our current levels of angst!
However, what I have noticed is that all the above “brokenness” looks different depending on my mood state.
Below is an example of how my day might look depending on my mood state;
If I am in a low mood state, everything looks bad with the world and I have a long list of items that need fixing.
I am frustrated and angry that we are not able to see the family for nearly 2 years ( we live in different countries and the restrictions mean that traveling is not advisable.
Our eldest daughter is becoming a rude teenager and we need to start putting consequences in place, like limiting her technology time, specifically her social media
Our youngest daughter is learning bad habits from her older sister, she too needs consequences put in place to curb this behaviour… no more TV for her for a week!
And the drivers need to be arrested ! It is an accident waiting to happen the speed they are travelling!
But when I am in a higher mood state, funnily enough, the world looks a much nicer place.
The current pandemic will ease and when that happens, we will be able to travel again. Thank goodness for technology and the ability to still see each other on camera.
My eldest daughter's rude behaviour is her showing up in a low mood state and it does not make common sense to engage with her at that level, because I know her mood state will pass.. it always does.
Same goes for my youngest daughter whose tantrums really do not last that long… unless I engage with them, and then they seem to go on for quite a while.. adding fuel to the fire!
And the drivers.. Well I don’t seem to notice so many of them when in a higher mood state.
As I look back over the above musings, it seems now obvious that showing up with love and compassion is enough. Because that's what happens when I am in a higher mood state. I see the world through the eyes of love and compassion.
I may not have all the answers, sometimes they may come and sometimes they won’t
But I know that what comes up in the moment is enough.
Noticing what mood state I am in tells me whether to engage with life or not.
Why would I make decisions when in a low mood state as the world looks a pretty horrible place from there?
Our mood state/ our feelings, are always there to guide us in every moment. We just have to notice!
There really is never anything to fix.
Would love to hear what you see in this conversation.
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Till next time
Ruth