Looking Out My Back Window #50

Originally posted on Facebook HERE

I’ve been thinking a lot about love since I got back from my trip to Florida in April, it’s been somewhat of a recurring theme. There are so many things we can look at in life and it brings joy to our hearts. Our spouses, our pets, a beautiful sunrise or sunset, valued possessions, photos, music… we all have many things that can and do bring us joy. What an amazing world we have to explore! So, why are so many of us unhappy? Why are we seeing celebrities committing suicide? Because inside our minds were given the choice on what we want to focus on, and how we choose affects everything else. Our perception will be our reality. What if we decided that, no matter what happens we’ll view it with love in our hearts? That’s where I’m trying to get to. I’m not even close. It’s an extremely hard task, because if you’re like me, responding in anger has been done for so long it’s become an instinctive reaction when I’m beset with something upsetting. What I’m trying to do is realize that when I do encounter a person or event that makes me angry, that anger isn’t really me at all. That anger comes from years of allowing myself to let emotions control my thinking instead of the other way around. I’m starting really small – like when I’m driving. In our area of Wisconsin, I swear the police hire short elderly people to drive Buicks (must be the standard issue vehicle) through town under 20mph to curtail speeding. My Dodge Challenger doesn’t like that speed, and when I’m behind Edna going 15mph in a no passing zone, I admit – anger can well up. Every time it happens now (and it happens a lot), I think “God knows I haven’t learned this lesson yet”, and calm myself down. Look for whatever bright side I can – I get to listen to more of the song or radio program I have on, I get to work on letting Love be the emotion that guides my thoughts rather that letting the instinctive emotion take over. And that more I do it, the more I’ll see it. The more I’ll see it when it’s a bigger issue, too. Social media tells us we have more hatred and anger for each other than ever before. Have you looked at your feed lately? No tolerance for any opposing views. Lots of “us vs. them” mentality. We need more love. I need more love. I know there’s other people out there who agree that in a round world, there’s no choosing sides. Let’s focus on connecting. Jesus, Gandhi, Mother Theresa, the Pope, the Dali Lama – are they known for spreading their anger? We are spiritual beings enjoying a human experience. Let’s try to remember that, and catch ourselves before responding in anger whenever possible. Maybe what’s happening in that moment is meant to be a learning experience. Or not. The choice is ours