Tuesday, March 03, 2009

To BE or not to simply BE

There are a few things I've been coming to terms with lately, not the least of which is a sense of confusion. Yoga teaches us to simply "be". There's nothing wrong with not being able to do a certain posture or stretch or hold. It's OK if our mind is clouded at the moment, because that is simply the state of things, and we should allow that to be... but focus on the breath and adjust our movement accordingly.

I think a lot. I mean, a lot. One of the comments that was posted a couple blogs back referred to a little bit of silliness I posted about the "Perils of a Catholic Upbringing". The commenter said,

"Best you've written so far! Not so philosophical...lol...nice to have a good laugh."

Point is, I didn't write it.

And yes, my writing IS philosophical.

I'm wondering if that may be the root of my current trouble. You see, I'm finding it quite difficult to be light hearted these days. The stress I'm feeling is that which I'm bringing on myself, or is it?

How often do we hear that outside factors should have no bearing on our internal happiness? That, to me, says no matter what kind of shit goes down, we'll simply be happy because our happiness has nothing to do with said shit; internal vs external.

Do we get to choose how we feel?

I know I've had the opportunity to choose whether I was going to allow something to affect me, so I suppose that is true. Did I choose to be sad when my Dad passed away? Yes, I suppose I did. Did I choose to experience all those 'divorce-type' feelings when Nathalie moved back to Quebec? Yes, I did, however some would argue that I didn't express as many of those feelings as I could have.

Does the fact that we naturally experience negative feelings when negative things happen mean that we're weak and easily succumb to whatever emotion just happens to be floating around the atmosphere, looking for a place to land?

I have a choice to make about a dear friend, and I guess the ultimate question in my mind to which I would LOVE a clear answer is this:

Do we choose how to BE, or simply BE?

2 comments:

Anvilcloud said...

Hey Dave: It's much too early for me to think, but I wish you well in your choice. /AC

Anna Scott Graham said...

whew! what an early morning concept, and me without tea...

however, what I will say is we completely choose to feel the way we do, especially when young, in our 20's.

after that... it's time to start growing up.

what I mean is when sorrowful things come upon us, we need to grieve. can't move ahead holding in what needs to be released. but to wallow in that grief past the sell-by date is destructive, just as bad as not grieving in the first palce.

I have in my writing group women in their 30's and mid 40's who act like they are 13 years old. choosing that sort of behaviour is without reason or merit. and drives me up the wall! we do make our own heavens and hells, but no matter how centered we are, we're only human.

take a look at the choice you have to make. what are your options? why are you making this choice? what are the motivations, reasons... we're getting older, hopefully wiser. use that wisdom, and make your decision thusly.

is thusly a word? :)))

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Calgary, Alberta, Canada
English student, Pottery enthusiast, Yoga novice and lover of all people. I make friends over a warm handshake and a beverage. I discover, every day, someone willing to help me along my path.