Last night I found myself in a meditation room with a counselor-type woman who speaks to spirit guides.
Ok, if I''ve lost your attention, I understand. But when she explained the differences between acceptance and choice, she got my attention. Then when she said the following sentence, I understood in the clearest way that I can and must accept reality and yet I still get to and must choose what to do about it.
Here's the sentence. It starts with acceptance and ends with choice. It's possible it might be the answer to every question:
Given what is,
What am I to do?
Of course it can be that the only choise you have is to accept :-), that happens. But yes it is true, even to accept means to deal with it and not to let your head hang down. I like your meditation room :-)
ReplyDeleteyes, hildegarde, i think you can choose BEFORE you accept, or you can choose NOT to accept, but when you do that, you aren't truly accepting....
ReplyDeleteJust do the right thing. That is what I always try to do.
ReplyDeleteSuccinct!
ReplyDeleteAnd much more poetic sounding than my usual "What am I going to do?"
I don't like questions like these. I could spend the whole night thinking of how to answer it and end up not doing anything. Still I want to be thoughtful without getting a headache.
ReplyDeleteI like it! Cuts through all the crap.
ReplyDeletepieterbie, yes. the right thing is whatever you believe the right thing is.
ReplyDeletelavender, thank you.
ces, for some reason, i like this answer. it seems to lack your customary right on wise guy slant...
debra kay, i thought so too.
Very true! What am I to do...or better perhaps: what can I do? What is the most difficult part in this sentence? Accepting or acting?
ReplyDeleteInteresting topic, KJ, it makes me think.
Well, you actually snatched me in on your first sentence....
ReplyDeleteSpirit guides....
"given what it is"...such important words. That we might often just pipe off with a canned answer..."oh, I'd do this or that" "Or you should" "Or you shouldn't", but "given what it is".....might very well change the entire process of the answer and the very context of the question.
Words for thinking by....:)
Given that you've written this thought provoking post, I choose to leave you a comment that just lays there like a dead fish.
ReplyDeleteThe really interesting part of this process is everyone's thoughts (comments) about that magical little statement are so deep and so different.
Oh How Interesting!! Did you know that everyone has a Guide?
ReplyDeleteCan you hear yours?
given what is we must be and do the very best we can. I like that!
ReplyDeleteI actually used that thought today to pull me back from an annoying process-I was getting all caught up in how things should be-and that wasn't productive. What a useful little ditty-esepcially the first part-Given what is......
ReplyDelete“Your life is the sum result of all the choices you make, both consciously and unconsciously. If you can control the process of choosing, you can take control of all aspects of your life. You can find the freedom that comes from being in charge of yourself.”
ReplyDelete-Robert F. Bennett-
As you saw at our friend's, I know what you speak of, KJ. Accepting what is--what is, and cannot be changed, and then making a choice to move on.
ReplyDeleteIt can be a terrible choice, but the way I see it (in my own life), is that there could be worse choices to make. Always, there can be worse choices.
Have you ever seen the movie or read the novel, "Sophie's Choice"?
Sophie had to make the worst choice ever, one that meant both life and death, no matter how she decided. Tragic and beautiful all the same. She had to then accept her choice. She was not given the opportunity to accept before making the choice, or all would be lost. If you haven't seen it, I recommend it.
I'll give you one hint: Sophie is a Holocaust survivor.
It's a matter of survival.
ReplyDeleteThanks for making me think - at 7am on a Sunday! I guess that was my choice!
ReplyDeleteToday, given dirty clothes,
ReplyDeleteI am to do the laundry!
It's really simple.
Live!
A question I'm asking of myself, as of late!
ReplyDeleteOo, I like this ... good for the search for what is the next right thing to do ... Thanks for sharing it!
ReplyDeleteThere is such truth in that question. We always have a choice to make, even when there seems to be no choice. Some choices are so challenging that it does feel as if we are powerless, but still... there is the factor of choice. I find that so empowering. Thank you for reminding me!
ReplyDeleteI know smeone who often shrugs and says, "It is what it is." I've always liked that. And from there, you can take action. It's a good question.
ReplyDelete