Thursday, September 22, 2011

Once again, I've gotten away from my "rules to live by," what I call my Handbook. My problems seem to occur under the heading of Personality: *Don't have negative thoughts of things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment. *Forget issues of the past. That will ruin your present happiness. *Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others. *Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present. *No one is in charge of your happiness except you. 

Unless I am vigilant, I slide right back into the past. The mind is so sneaky that way. So, this morning, as I look out at rainfall on the Lake, the opposite shore barely visible through the foggy mist, I pick up my old friend, Eckhart Tolle, to try once again to put myself in the present moment.

My well-thumbed book opens to a page titled, "How the pain-body feeds on your thoughts." Wow (Eckhart Tolle calls that dark shadow cast by the ego the "pain-body.")  He says, the pain-body "may get triggered by an event at any time. The pain-body that is ready to feed can use the most insignificant event as a trigger, something somebody says or does, or even a thought. If you live alone or there is nobody around at the time, the pain-body will feed on your thoughts. Suddenly, your thinking becomes deeply negative. You were most likely unaware that just prior to the influx of negative thinking a wave of emotion invaded your mind - as a dark and heavy mood, as anxiety or fiery anger." Again, wow. (Although I was aware of that wave of emotion.)

He goes on to say that happy, positive thoughts are "indigestible" to the pain-body; it can only feed on negative thoughts because only those thoughts are compatible with its own energy field. He also says that we become addicted to unhappiness, that it is not so much that I can't stop my train of negative thoughts, but that I don't want to. Oh, I don't like that. I don't like it at all. I think the pain-body is like a psychic parasite and I have got to rid myself of it.

So, today I consciously choose to be present. I do recognize the link between emotional pain and my thoughts - my sneaky mind. Tolle says the only way to diminish the pain-body is not through fighting it but through bringing the light of consciousness to it. Today, I put attention on the old painful emotions but I no longer try to resist them and in that way they cannot control my thinking. Does that make sense?

I am feeling positive today and content with my lot in life. Let's review, shall we?


HANDBOOK 
Health:
1.          Drink plenty of water.
2.         Eat breakfast like a queen, lunch like a princess and dinner like a beggar.
3.         Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is  manufactured in plants.
4.         Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy
5.         Make time to meditate.
6.         Play more games.
7.         Read more books than you did in 2009.
8.         Be in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.
9.         Sleep for 7 hours.
10.        Take a 10-30 minutes walk daily. And while you walk, smile.
Personality:
11.         Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
12.         Don't have negative thoughts of things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
13.         Don't overdo. Keep your limits.
14.         Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
15.         Don't waste your precious energy on gossip.
16.         Dream more while you are awake.
17.         Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
18.         Forget issues of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
19.         Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others.
20.         Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present. 
21.         No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
22.         Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn.  Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
23.         Smile and laugh more.
Society:
24.         Call your family often.
25.         Each day give something good to others.
26.         Forgive everyone for everything. 
27.         Try to make at least three people smile each day.
28.         What other people think of you is none of your business.
29.         Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
Life:
30.         Do the right thing!
31.         Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
32.         However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
33.         No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
34.         The best is yet to come. 

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