That title is a double entendre because it seems as though the universe has placed me on a ride of sorts this week, taking me to places I had no conscious intention of going, and it's been a continual round of the same lesson again and again - acceptance. Each time I think I've embraced acceptance another situation presents itself and I am faced with the same choice once again, fight the derailment or accept it. Ultimately, I am left with the choice of accepting acceptance. Someone appears to be saying I need the practice.
They might have a point because my strong will, sometimes defined as stubbornness, can leave little variance for distractions that are not part of my initial plan. I often have a clear vision and focus and when something arises that veers me from my intended course, my initial reaction is to be irked. The step that comes immediately after that knee jerk response is to try to figure out how I can force and bend my world to the plans I foresaw. This method has worked to my benefit many times in my youth, it was a fine coping skill that allowed me to survive my abusive upbringing, but times have changed and so must I. To my credit, I have much more flexibility today than in days gone by but I was been asked to adapt and accept in real time versus a delayed response. Thus, the season pass to my personal amusement ride.
So what does acceptance look like from where I stand? The first step is awareness of the resistance that arises as I face a roadblock. I feel an internal clenching as I fight to hold my ground and I hear a mental boycott of what is being asked of me. The pivotal choice comes right after the internal observation, am I going to sit mired in defiance or willing proceed down the path I am being lead?
In theory, it really is a quite simple choice: If the interruption does not cause any major harm or catastrophe, or I am not being asked to shirk my responsibility, then I take a deep breath and accept where it is I am being guided. Basically, if no one is going to lose a life, then what's the harm? There is none, and that is what I need to remind my ego when things aren't going my way.
Next, I make the commitment to be fully present for the latest interference. I consciously choose to open my heart and get out of my head, where I will only find further complications. The step that follows is to set the intention to engage willing and not with an air of concession or victimhood.
Lastly, I trust that the forces at large are guiding me to a place and time that best serves me and perhaps others. After all, I have limited vision of the big picture and am open to the idea that I just may be being guided to bigger and better things that I could not have imagined.
So this is how I spent my week, again and again. It leads me to wonder how many of my readers are being encouraged to do the same, practice acceptance. I'll take a wild guess and say quite a few, as it does seem to be a human affliction that acceptance of any given circumstance that we don't deem desirable is at the very bottom of our list. I'm about to hop off this ride and encourage you to climb aboard for a spin. As for me, I'll continue to explore the carnival of life. I just hope the roller coaster is not in my foreseeable future...
Be well and happy.
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