When you receive the phone call….
You know, the one that changes something significant about your life.
What do you notice happens inside yourself? What kicks in?
I received one of those today (actually, it was a TXT). My first reaction was anger, followed by blame (I told you this would happen, if…).
Even though it may feel hard, the easy part is to react. Reacting can be ugly, but it may still be necessary in order to get to what is driving the reaction. Often that is deep hurt, disappointment, or sense of loss.
Sitting with your reaction is often quite challenging, but it can disarm the locus of your feeling and enable an awareness that your perspective may not the only legitimate one. This can open us up to what otherwise feels like something that wants to shut down. And, an openness to ourselves allows for an openness to others.
We are, after all, not the only ones receiving ’bad’ news in life. We can hold each other because of our unique, but also common, suffering. And, when we do this, we discover we have more capacity to offer grace, than anything else, to both ourselves and others.
…but, this still takes commitment and more work than we often prefer. I’m still trudging my way through it internally, because I know things will not be returning to the way they have been.
The phone call changed that.
