One of my rituals for each new year is to choose a word to influence me for the year. My word for 2011 is EXPERIMENT. To support my EXPERIMENTAL focus, I commit to post the results of a new experiment each Sunday of this year.
I just experimented with NOT talking about The Weather.
This might SEEM like a non-event, but trust me, it wasn’t. It’s HOT and HUMID and pretty darned oppressive feeling here in southeastern NC these days. And a lot of us are spending a lot of time complaining about it.
That’s my point.
I had a rotten time last week. My body has MS in it. Heat and MS are not friends. So I spent a lot of energy whining.
That’s why I decided to not mention the weather this past week. It was TOUGH. I caught myself agreeing, “yeah”, a couple of times – but then I stopped myself. At least I didn’t jump into a full- fledged monologue of doom and despair.
It’s funny how not giving something power reinforces The Spirit.
So this week, The Weather didn’t win.
How do you stop things you can’t control from zapping your spirit?
Lisa’s Cheap Therapy blog 
Interesting how NOT engaging can free you from bad feelings. I have had to learn not to join the fray in political discussions (which today seem to be more like mutually exclusive rants!). I found myself fruitlessly arguing with a freind whose views are really not subject to any change, and getting so stirred up and annoyed that I even found it hard to sleep. Now, I mostly stay out of the argument. Occasionally I feel as if I am allowing ‘the worst’ to be ‘full of passionate intensity’ while I appear to ‘lack all conviction.’ But I continue to vote and live my convictions, which is probably enough!
In retrospect and after three years of marriage counseling, I discovered that I spent a great deal of time over the last 22 years whining about things over which I had no control….namely another human beings beliefs and actions.
That said, let me identify myself as a “recovering whiner”!
I am learning to follow the Serenity Prayer (have the strength to accept what I cannot change, courage to change what I can, and wisdom to know the difference. It is a day by day (and sometimes minute by minute) challenge, but I am working the plan.
I have to admit….. only addressing what I can change and not “owning” what I can’t by dwelling on it, has been very liberating for me.
All that said…. I sure do hope the heat calms down some so you can feel a bit better!!!!
What about Christian beliefs? I’m wondering if I should be debating them on a Christian message board, as It’s hard to not allow someone to get you riled up. The topic is gay marriage and we’re both using Bible quotations. I’m for it & this person thinks it’s a sin. Should I just stop and let the other person have the last word?
Lois…not sur what to say on this one. I just posted a message to my online course about opinions: Remember opinions are like buttholes…everyone has one.
I have learned no one has the right to tell me my opinion is wrong, but I can do my best to explain myself. But when it starts getting to the point of verbal “over powering” it may be best to agree to disagree and move on from there.
Only my opinion though…wonder what others have to say on the matter.. you raise an interesting question……
Penny & Lois ~ since you mentioned similar points, i want to applaud you both for paying attention to how you’re handling them. like you both, i’m much more open to entering ‘discussions’ than ‘arguments’. one requires WINNERS/LOSERS. when i have the choice, i don’t choose that one.
Judi ~ the Serenity Prayer pulls/ nudges/ shoves me through MUCH, too! and yep, that ‘agreeing to disagree’ thing helps me too. ::sigh::
THANKS to all of you for taking the time to reply here. i honor you.
dear Lisa,
I find the “bite the tongue” prayer helpful. When tempted to say something negative or complain or “fuss at hubby” I clamp my tongue between my teeth…try it…one cannot speak when one does that. Don’t release it until the “urge to fuss” passes (smile)
oh dear Brenda, i can SO see the love & smile in your eyes as i read your words. thanks…