Friday, September 11, 2009

Einstein

Einstein put things succinctly when he said, “We cannot solve our problems with the mind that created them.” To change our world, we may need to think in new ways and develop a new story to live by. How often do we forget that the quality of our lives is not governed by how much we possess or how important we become? We're so "busy" it seems hard to take the time to acknowledge the unfilled space we feel within; or how much happiness we're experiencing. Giving yourself some time to think about that is a gift! A spa for your mind!

Monday, July 27, 2009

Embracing change

The goldfish in our outdoor pond are moving to a kind neighbour’s.
These fish have developed great evasive skills and hardiness in order to survive racoons and other predators, over-wintering, and feeding on whatever falls in the pond.

Needless to say they are difficult to catch and yesterday I was having difficulty netting even one! As I emptied yet another net-full of leaves from the bottom I noticed one orange bit flipping in the garden! Rescued, the little guy settled very still in the pail.

Eventually he was taken solo to his new home. When the pail was tipped he was very reluctant to move, and held back in the pail. When the pail was fully tipped he stayed put and I wondered if he was injured.

Then – he made a hesitant move forward; several of his old buddies darted out and suddenly he was dashing around in this beautiful pond with lots of space, a waterfall, lilies and many other fish to live and play with! Fish heaven on earth!
It occurred to me that this is such a metaphor for what goes on in our own lives! Change is resisted. We use evasive tactics to hold on to what we are, and what we have. Such resistance can injure us or make us emotionally, even physically sick!

Yet the times that we decide to just go with the flow and ‘swim with the current’ are when we discover that the change we were avoiding has opened new possibilities and new beginnings for us. In fact, considering all that we are presented with, our new perspective can allow us to see that there never was anything to be afraid of, we are enjoying ourselves, and the change result exceeds our expectations!

Keep this in mind next time you find change looming and yourself feeling like a fish out of water.