Overlooking bad habits
Sending off my pet hates, cutting my worries down to size by acting on them, ignoring my worrisome habits, takes time and discipline. Though with practice, I do notice that habits of cheerful optimism get easier. Also, focussing on the positives automatically means that the things we don’t want fade away: It is better to be ‘pro-peace’ than ‘anti-war’.
Bad news and habitual difficulties have a habit of clinging on, a bit like the smell of mouldy old clothes – and there is a prize for anyone who can spot the pun. Old messages are part of a record with deep grooves, so it takes a while to notice how deeply buried are the old, tired repeats: “I can’t manage…” – “I have to do everything alone….” Out-of-date litanies these may be, but they spool round, and on bad days, in tense times, can spill out and threaten to unseat happier certainties.
Perhaps the best analogy I have found recently is of a garden filled with weeds – thistles, dock, painful thorns… If we focus on what we prefer – tulips, sunflowers… the things we prefer are strengthened while the weeds, unable to find a purchase in the soil, wither away for lack of attention.
I find myself warming more easily to positive words, and my decision to stay defiantly happy is certainly working at the moment, encouraged by the light mornings, bright sunlight and welcome warmth of each spring day. It feels increasingly obvious that we can embrace good news and glance lightly over the bad: purposeful opposition to the things we dislike merely feeds them. Instead of worrying in the dark, I walk outside and turn my face to the light.
Please share:
April 25, 2019 @ 12:22 pm
Lovely, Fran. Being positive is always best for the soul. It’s sometimes hard when things pile up, but in the end we need to shrug what we can off like an old coat xxx
April 25, 2019 @ 4:05 pm
Thank you so much, Val! I finally got the pun when I remembered that monk’s clothes are called habits. Shrugging off old habits… Interesting, the way that Spirit inform us, isn’t it?! Thanks for all your help, and if I can ever reciprocate, please tell me. ((xxx))
May 5, 2019 @ 9:43 pm
Thanks for sharing Fran,
Just wonderful to be reminded of the value of positivity. It can be instantly transforming. The longer daylight hours do help :))
Christine
May 6, 2019 @ 9:56 am
Hi Christine! Thank you so much for visiting and commenting – I really appreciate that. I find I have good days and not so good, but that I can handle the downers far more easily than I used to. Knowing that I’ve weathered them previously, and that I’m stronger than I used to be – I don’t care as much as I used to – also helps a lot. I’m glad it is springtime. :-)))