I was listening to Pandora on the TV and was thoroughly enjoying my Big Band station.
Then, all of a sudden, something caught my eye!
I did a double take.
Does that says Booby?!?
[Eruption of giggles]
Not only is this hilarious, but (if this were real) whoever was in charge of editing really missed the mark...
You ever see that movie, 50 First Dates? I didn't like it. I'm not a fan of movies with plots of recurring plots.
On first dates we are excited and eager to learn and see how things go. To learn about our date. To see how we present ourselves - and thus feel about ourselves. To understand how we act and connect in relation to another person and a new situation.
Everything about first dates is new. Even we are new, in a sense.
We are presenting ourselves to a new person - we are showing who we are in a new time, and hopefully, in a new way than we have before.
This idea of first dates for life is not about finding a partner or coming off a certain way. It is about adopting the first date mindset for all of life.
Dates are great - but what about all of the other days of our lives?! There is always so much going on, so much to see, learn, observe and contemplate.
What if we were as eager and excited to really live in the world around us as we are to be in the moment in a date?
Maybe one day life takes on the form of a not so great date, such as eavesdropped over margaritas with my sister and recorded below:
Woman 1: I mean he was a nice guy and all, but it just wasn't clicking.
Woman 2: What did you guys end up doing?
Woman 1: . . . We went to an escape room . . .
Woman 2: Did you at least escape?
Woman 1: No!
Or maybe a different day, life channels this VERY random date snippet - also eavesdropped over margaritas with my sister:
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Woman on date: "Do you still drink a lot of milk?
-- I have a twin sister..."
[no pause for her date's answer or perceptible segue to the new topic]
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The point I'm getting at is, you never know what's going to come. But you've got to be paying attention to your date [life] so you don't miss the good stuff! When you do, you give every day the opportunity to be exciting, energizing, and just the right amount of nerve provoking.
I walk into the bathroom at Mayan Palace and am immediately hit with a Smell.
I lock myself in my stall and utter under my breath, "it smells foul in here!"
. . . And then I hear a toilet flush in the stall next to me . . .
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Did I just transport back in time to 6th grade?!
No? Not quite?
I suppose that's true, because I would have had to say:
"It smells like Mrs. [Name] in here!"
Then I'd have seen her, immediately after, exit the handicap stall and make eye contact with me in the mirror.
*Shudder*
Not one of my favorite moments.
Why is it that I (and maybe you, too??) feel embarrassed or worried/regretful when I comment on something such as a stinky poop smell in the restroom and then get confirmation that the culprit is still within range?
I didn't say anything 'wrong' or 'mean'. I simply uttered an observation.
Perhaps it's because the majority of our thoughts about others are really reflections of ourselves.
I felt embarrassed, worried, regretful to have potentially been heard saying it smelled bad because I would have felt those things if I had been the one to stink it up - And that's without hearing anyone comment on the stench!
Knowing this tidbit - that we all are just responding to our own reflections as we go through life - can be quite helpful. Especially if we flip it!
There's a very good chance that someone else's response to something or a situation has less to do about you or me and our role in it and more to do with their own perceptions and insecurities.
But back to public restrooms - the reality is EVERYBODY POOPS. And sometimes it doesn't smell the best - especially if you're eating cuisine rooted in beans (me encanta frijoles!!) - but I guess that's just a perk of being human.
Some days are like carrying too many moving boxes of different sizes all at once.
Some days are like your umbrella getting blown inside out.
And some days are like this, where everything happens at once.
These days stink.
Sometimes they frustrate us and make us angry. Other times they may make us sad and low.
But they always pass. And good always comes.
Even on the worst days there is learning to be gained. And it is through this learning that we may find purpose and meaning in everything.
I was praying the rosary and the thought occurred to me,
"A lot of the extreme things Jesus is going through (as depicted by the Sorrowful Mysteries), can be easily related to by the rest of us . . . albeit on a much milder scale."
1st Sorrowful Mystery: The Agony In the Garden
Perhaps this is what we experience in our lives when we encounter very difficult obstacles. Or we have begun our coaching journey of self discovery and the initial discoveries we are making - deep rooted beliefs we didn't even know existed - are quite hard to swallow, now that they've been exposed.
2nd Sorrowful Mystery: The Scourging at the Pillar
This might be our internal Gremlin/Saboteur/Judging voice that picks us apart and makes us feel worthless, small, unimportant, etc. It keeps us playing small, thinking small, living small. It keeps us from walking in the light we naturally radiate.
We're becoming more aware of this pesky voice - and at this stage it can feel a bit overwhelming and disheartening how frequent it is. We may judge ourselves just for judging ourselves!
3rd Sorrowful Mystery: The Crowning of Thorns
Here, we may be learning to understand, counter and quiet our Saboteur voice. It is difficult, because the voice still has so much power. But we also know, that the voice is not our own. We are building courage so we may be true to who we really are and what is right/true to us.
4th Sorrowful Mystery: The Carrying of the Cross
In this stage, we are actively practicing our 'walking the talk.' This means, applying all of the skills we've learned so far:
1) Awareness
- of our obstacles [that they are not permanent and can be overcome]
- of our hidden beliefs
2) Recognition and acknowledgement of our Saboteur voice
3) Understanding and countering our Saboteur voice
This takes a lot of energy at first and can be quite draining! But this is often where substantial growth and learning occur.
5th Sorrowful Mystery: The Crucifixion
The end of the road for struggle and beliefs that no longer serve us. It is at this last stage where we have gained a deep understanding of our Saboteur and how it uses our hidden (and limiting) beliefs to hold us back (or in it's mind, protect us). With this knowledge we have found and practiced ways to get what we really need in order to create new beliefs that serve us better.
Here is where the old and no longer useful beliefs, thoughts, actions come to rest, while we ascend to a higher way of being.
