[Radiant Living] Embracing the Mess
2 views
Skip to first unread message
Emerge Healing
Jul 23, 2009, 12:24:25 AM7/23/09
to radiant...@googlegroups.com
By Megan Woolever
The only difference between a rut and a grave is their dimensions. ~Ellen Glasgow
If nothing ever changed, there'd be no butterflies. ~Author Unknown
As the saying goes, the only thing that's consistent is change. And yet why do we resist change so vehemently, holding on to what is safe, what is familiar, what we "know?" To learn and to grow requires letting go of the familiar and embracing the unknown. And often this looks a little messy.
The nature of change is just that, messy. Think of a baby being born. The baby is all warm and snuggly in mom's belly until WHAMMO its time to be born. That birth process from the baby's perspective must be pretty scary, moving from a completely ensconced and protected space into who knows what of an outside world. And messy? To say the least!
In life as in nature the most effective route isn't necessarily the cleanest, straightest of lines. Often we take twists and turns along the way, we get lost, we ask directions, maybe we find a hidden retreat. And all the while we are discovering, exploring and uncovering the mystery of our life and our world. It is only when we are willing to get lost a bit in life, to let go of our need to know and control every step along the way, that we can then begin to open to learning something new or finding something extraordinary outside the realm of our comfort zone or routine.
Embracing the mess is a mindset. It says, "I honor and acknowledge that there are things in life that are beyond my comprehension and therefore I let go of trying to control every aspect of life." Do you really think the caterpillar would willingly volunteer to cocoon itself if it knew its entire body would break down to the point of near annihilation in the process of becoming a butterfly? Sounds pretty messy if you ask me. And yet, that is its destiny, its purpose. Like it or not, the genetic egg timer goes off inside the caterpillar and, just like that baby being born, there is nothing that it can do to stop the change. It must occur.
The more we resist, the more we try to control the change, the harder we make it on ourselves. Better to embrace the process and surf the waves of change with hope and a vision for who we are becoming and what we are learning than to fight tooth and nail to keep things the way they are. Change is inevitable in life. Our greatest power lies not in controlling or predicting the change, but in interpreting it, understanding it and ultimately allowing it to shape and inform us of who we are becoming.
Things die, fall apart and are no longer relevant to our experience. Rather than trying to hold on to the past because "that's the way is used to work," instead of trying for perfection, which is just another word for stagnation, why not embrace the mystery of the world as it unfolds this very moment in all its quirks, glitches and foibles. Why not embrace the mystery of yourself as you fall down, hiccup and faux pas your way to your destiny. It may be messy, but it will not be boring!
--
Posted By Emerge Healing to Radiant Living at 7/22/2009 02:54:00 PM
The only difference between a rut and a grave is their dimensions. ~Ellen Glasgow
If nothing ever changed, there'd be no butterflies. ~Author Unknown
As the saying goes, the only thing that's consistent is change. And yet why do we resist change so vehemently, holding on to what is safe, what is familiar, what we "know?" To learn and to grow requires letting go of the familiar and embracing the unknown. And often this looks a little messy.
The nature of change is just that, messy. Think of a baby being born. The baby is all warm and snuggly in mom's belly until WHAMMO its time to be born. That birth process from the baby's perspective must be pretty scary, moving from a completely ensconced and protected space into who knows what of an outside world. And messy? To say the least!
In life as in nature the most effective route isn't necessarily the cleanest, straightest of lines. Often we take twists and turns along the way, we get lost, we ask directions, maybe we find a hidden retreat. And all the while we are discovering, exploring and uncovering the mystery of our life and our world. It is only when we are willing to get lost a bit in life, to let go of our need to know and control every step along the way, that we can then begin to open to learning something new or finding something extraordinary outside the realm of our comfort zone or routine.
Embracing the mess is a mindset. It says, "I honor and acknowledge that there are things in life that are beyond my comprehension and therefore I let go of trying to control every aspect of life." Do you really think the caterpillar would willingly volunteer to cocoon itself if it knew its entire body would break down to the point of near annihilation in the process of becoming a butterfly? Sounds pretty messy if you ask me. And yet, that is its destiny, its purpose. Like it or not, the genetic egg timer goes off inside the caterpillar and, just like that baby being born, there is nothing that it can do to stop the change. It must occur.
The more we resist, the more we try to control the change, the harder we make it on ourselves. Better to embrace the process and surf the waves of change with hope and a vision for who we are becoming and what we are learning than to fight tooth and nail to keep things the way they are. Change is inevitable in life. Our greatest power lies not in controlling or predicting the change, but in interpreting it, understanding it and ultimately allowing it to shape and inform us of who we are becoming.
Things die, fall apart and are no longer relevant to our experience. Rather than trying to hold on to the past because "that's the way is used to work," instead of trying for perfection, which is just another word for stagnation, why not embrace the mystery of the world as it unfolds this very moment in all its quirks, glitches and foibles. Why not embrace the mystery of yourself as you fall down, hiccup and faux pas your way to your destiny. It may be messy, but it will not be boring!
--
Posted By Emerge Healing to Radiant Living at 7/22/2009 02:54:00 PM
Reply all
Reply to author
Forward
0 new messages