I can choose peace instead of this. . .
I’ve mentioned in other posts how important A Course in Miracles has been to my spiritual development. Because “the course” complements the twelve steps of AA and Al-Anon, I feel many moments of actual joy nearly every day, a pay-off I had never expected. These three pathways have grounded me. For sure, had I not found both twelve step programs a number of decades ago, prior to my introduction to the course, I wouldn’t be alive to explore the ideas I’m tossing your way within these posts. I was headed down a very dark alley, completely unaware of how dire my circumstances were, absolutely ignorant of the danger of my chosen journey then, and without a doubt, hell-bent on being my own worst enemy.
Perhaps some of you can relate. A post such as this probably wouldn’t have drawn you in if you had never traveled the rocky roads of life. But then who doesn’t end up on a rocky road, at least occasionally. Rocky roads give rise to our lessons. And the lessons are why we live. It’s a cycle, though not a vicious one. It just is, what it is.
Might you be wondering what “choosing peace instead of this” is all about? Here’s my take. No one is in charge of my thoughts but me. No One! No one is in charge of my actions either. I can and will “show up” how ever I choose, every instant, within every encounter, whether with a friend, a colleague, a family member or a stranger. Knowing that we have the power, the total power to decide who we will be every instant, makes choosing to be peaceful, rather than controlled by the ugliness of others, a delicious choice. Our choice serves as a great role model for others too. Without suggesting to any one that they should choose peace too, they see our reward for themselves. Actions can speak far louder than words.
When I choose to sit on the sidelines, watching a drama unfold, rather than trying to manage it, particularly one that doesn’t concern me, my heart isn’t elevated. My mind doesn’t race. I don’t feel nervous, or breathless, or emotional. I experience a sense of warm, loving detachment and know immediately that I want more of that feeling. And now I know where to get it. I can and will feel peace, instead of what ever might have nabbed my emotions, when I stay in charge of what I want to feel, to say and do. All three are available to you as well.
The decision is yours. Will you make it?
