dailydatewithgod

One of the greatest tools that can be practice is that of observance.  We humans are very observant. We have five senses that pull information from our environment and we have one element our mind that translates that information.  Perhaps we are meant to take in more than we put out.  Perhaps we are simply meant to observe more than we are to make decisions about what we see.  It is a freeing practice to simply observe things without making decisions or judgments about them.  The moment my mind decides that something I am seeing means something the story begins.  I have learned over the years that my mind does not invent too many different stories.  It usually takes what it is seeing, hearing, feeling, and makes it mean one of my core stories –it’s all my fault, it’s not good enough, there is something wrong here, I need to protect myself, etc.  The moment the story gets attached to what I am observing I am no longer present in the moment.  Having some space between the observation and the story is a gift of God.  That pause is everything. Life is 10% of what happens and 90% of how we react to it (what we make it mean).  It is my decision to latch on to the story.  It is a well-worn groove, but I can create a new groove and that starts with observation.  If I find myself acting and behaving in a way that makes me uncomfortable, I have two options.  I can immediately jump into berating myself about how I am acting and how did I let that happen and I should know better, etc.  Or I can take a deep breath and notice it and decide if it is working for me or not to continue in that fashion or take a different path.  One way leads me down the rabbit hole of my story of doing it wrong or “shouldville”.  The other way leads me to recognition, acknowledgment of imperfection, and power to choose to do differently from this point forward.  Somehow by having breathing time (date w/God) at the beginning of my day each day, I have developed a stronger muscle of pause and observation. This has allowed me to begin to create a new story.  My prayer for you today is that you may breathe and observe.  Tell judgment and condemnation to go for a hike today.  Make it a great one!  Peace~Colleen