We all have them. There is no getting away from them. What’s a person to do? They taunt us at every turn, never missing an opportunity to flaunt their ugly selves before us. Run! Hide! Scream! Shout! Jump up and down and slip around the corner only to find them patiently awaiting us. Ugh! Give up? Ready to do something about them? I use the plural because I have yet to meet anyone who has only had a single issue with life.

What a great time of year to take ourselves by the boot straps (wherever they are) and do something positive for ourselves. Don’t start with the biggest thing that bothers you. Choose something small, a relatively minor annoyance. One of my favorites to start with is ‘that person’ who cuts me off on the freeway, just to get off at the next exit. Could they not see the eight car lengths of space behind me? Sound familiar? Join me in Blessing, truly Blessing ‘that person’, releasing and letting go of any momentary anger that we may feel. It is so freeing to drive with this attitude instead of the I own the freeway attitude that seems to accompany so many drivers. Do it for a week and see how easy it becomes. After another week, it will be almost like second nature to you. So what if someone sneaks into the parking place you have been waiting for. Bless them too, don’t be imprisoned by those automatic angry, preprogrammed responses. Soon, by keeping at it, many minor annoyances will fall into the non-issue category. And you will have succeeded in eliminating some unnecessary, undesirable behavior from your life. This may not seem like much but it is such good training for those more challenging issues of our daily lives. It’s pattern setting, allowing us to become familiar in a relatively easy manner with a new, more desirable behavior.

Why is this important? Because it gives us choice and a sense of power––brief as it may be. This may seem only like moving a pebble when you are carrying boulders, but the road to true empowerment in our lives is paved with pebbles. When we learn to deal more effectively with small issues, then the bigger ones become less frightening and possibly even solvable. It’s the same basic principle that will stand by us, that will support us. Maintaining our cool and choosing how to respond to any given situation takes more than self-discipline, it takes self-love as well. Now do you have an issue with that? I’ll be addressing that in next month’s issue.

Love, Light and Laughter, Mary Catherine

Spiritually led support group...
for adults dealing with the mundane to the seemingly unsolvable. Utilize Spirit, Gentle Humor and Meditation. Confidential.
Free Introduction Meeting Feb 17th 4-5pm
Regular meetings begin Feb 24th 5:30-7pm
$10 donation • Kindred Spirits
813 W. Foothill Blvd, Claremont, CA (909)949-3639