There’s no magic wand delivering me from despair to joy. This universal truth is found in slogans and adages like “one day at a time” and “every journey begins with a single step.”
In the book Ask and it is Given, Esther & Jerry Hicks outline a 22-point scale of emotions. When I find myself in the basement and am wracked with despair, moving up to joy can be quite the trek. Maybe I could heave myself from #22 to #17. Anger is better than the powerlessness despair provokes.
When I want to remember and practice a particular lesson, I take notes. This collection I augmented, teasing out nuances that resonated more authentically for me. Then I pinned it in my phone’s Notes App to keep it handy.
When I get irritated and impatient, I remind myself to move through my cynical sadness and weariness, knowing contentment is around the corner.
Spending most days in the top 7 rungs on this scale is a worthy goal.
This requires I search my inner self and the obstacles to growth and enlightenment.
The lyrics in Fleetwood Mac’s hit Landslide deliver a hopeful, optimistic sentiment toward introspection. The genuine, wistful and self-examining queries open a solid route for this seeker.
”Oh, mirror in the sky, what is love?
Can the child within my heart rise above?
Can I sail through the changing ocean tides?
Can I handle the seasons of my life?”
As I mature, the reflective nature of this song captures my imagination. I wonder at the energy my highest self can offer the child of my heart.
Will my own acceptance, forgiveness, love and understanding lift me above the tides of life I’m here to live?
The gift of self-awareness brings a boldness that didn’t always show up in earlier seasons. Bringing down the barriers my ego constructs, takes me closer to the peace I desire.
“Hope lies in dreams, in imagination, and in the courage of those who dare to make dreams into reality.”
– Jonas Sal
