Are you sometimes irritated?

Admit it! At times, we all can be a bit like The Princess and the Pea. Life offers much that is good, but sometimes all we do is get irritated by the few small things that don’t go smoothly.

We find ourselves bothered…like when we get stuck in traffic or deal with an irritating customer (again).

If this rings true for you too, you are definitely not alone. There will always be circumstances and people we cannot control and how we respond to them affects the quality of our lives.

There are many stories of spiritual masters embracing the presence of an annoying student in their community. There’s even one story that documents a teacher paying an irritating person to live among his students!

Irritation can be an important teacher and an indication that we are making progress on our personal growth path.

A mollusk gets this annoying little piece of sand in its soft and tender flesh. That speck of sand grates the interior lining of the mollusk and then a coating is produced to cover the irritating intrusion. It adapts to this new irritation instead of trying to get rid of it. And in time an exquisite pearl is formed.

We too have the opportunity to cultivate beauty from irritation. We can become aware of these situations as they come up and notice our reactions.

Then, like the mollusk, we can use that irritation as an opportunity for something worthwhile to grow.

• When we take the time to stop and listen to what is causing us to feel ill or uneasy;
• when we allow for that irritation to speak to us and teach us;
• when we decide to stop running from it or trying to hide it or disguise it;

then we have the chance at turning a simple irritation into something more rewarding.

Remember the mantra,

For most of us, our lives have offered us an abundance of opportunities, of grains of sand!

Which ones have you turned into pearls?

Aargh!

My latest technical problem just seemed to reinforce my self-doubts and negative self-talk about me and technology. Putting my “deep technological know-how” to work, I mumble, stumble and fumble with the various buttons, keys, and cords. Closing all the applications and rebooting still didn’t work. Turning the computer and the printer on and off several […]

When do we finally learn?

Remember the fun little poem by Portia Nelson titled Autobiography in Five Short Chapters? It’s a delight and even has a message for us! Chapter 1 I walk down the street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I fall in. I am lost. I am helpless. It’s isn’t my fault. It takes forever […]

Some fun “truths” to ponder!

Truths that little kids have learned: If your sister hits you, don’t hit her back. They always catch the second person. No matter how hard you try, you can’t baptize cats. You can’t hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk. The best place to be when you’re feeling sad is Grandma’s lap. […]

How much does a snowflake weigh?

Enjoy this winter parable! “Tell me the weight of a snowflake,” a sparrow asked a wild dove. “Nothing more than nothing,” was the answer. “In that case I must tell a marvelous story,” the sparrow said. “I sat on a branch of a fir tree, close to its trunk, when it began to snow, not […]

That list thing…

Rather than stressing over our 2024 “To-Do” lists, let’s use this time of the year to create our “Ta-Da” list! (It’s much more fun) When it seems like we are too busy, on overload, scattered and ineffective, we can take this opportunity to change our feelings by changing our perspective. We can look back at […]

Let’s lighten up in 2024!

Let’s enjoy the combination of common sense and the sense of humor from the pictures below! We know that a good laugh, a wry smile, a knowing eye-rolling, an exasperating head shake are all signs of a light heart. (something we can all use as we start 2024!) I have found the following thoughts both […]

Christmas and books!

I think Iceland is on to something with their Christmas Book Flood idea. A 2013 study showed that 50% of Icelandics read more than 8 books in a year and 93% read at least one in a year. And…when you add chocolate to the mix like they do, well, count me in! Growing up in […]

The darkness goes, even if slowly

We celebrate this coming Thursday as Winter Solstice, the turning point in our calendar as the daylight begins to increase each day. December 21 has the shortest period of daylight and also the longest night of the year. Yes, the light begins, ever so slowly, to return. The light and the dark move to equalize, […]

“Why” is the wrong question!

Our brain loves to solve problems. It functions beautifully to figure out how to make a pumpkin pie, sail across oceans, or build a house. It’s a wonderful tool for creativity. But if we are trying to understand ourselves, to find a way out of suffering, it can derail us because our minds get caught […]