Sometimes the greatest inspiration or insight strikes while occupying the Porcelain Throne.
As you will quickly see, the below is no exception. And perhaps it's a little too literal for some.
If that is your experience, I make no apologies.
I give you:
Potty Politics
I found some old thoughts scribbled on scrap paper recently.
Every time this happens it's always interesting to see what I wrote.
And often, I'll find myself reading something that leaves me feeling (dare I say it?!) inspired or moved in some way.
[affirmative head nod] 'Ok, past me . . . !'
You can't see the date, but these thoughts were penned in 2019 - almost to the day, June 9th-ish.
It's always so cool, a bit surprising, and reassuring to see that the new ways of thinking and perspectives I am fully shifting into in present day, were making themselves knows in the past in subtle ways.
It's easy to forget that we really do know the things [thoughts/perspectives/beliefs] that are best for us. These notes are proof - at least to me!
I think the disconnect comes from the lack of awareness and understanding of how to actually incorporate such self-knowledge.
In case you couldn't read from the pictures above, here are the wise bits [edited for spelling/grammar]:
No human is ever destined for just one thing. That's why we change and grow.
&
No one truly knows, without any doubts, what they are doing.
But we all
have our areas that we feel "completely in our element."
Perhaps it's
seeing others in those areas that leads us to
believe the lie that
everyone has their life figured out.
With these ideas in mind, we can start to integrate them by asking ourselves:
What growth have I experienced over the years?
What opportunities became available to me because of the growth?
Given the changes I've already experienced, what's possible for me in the future?
When do I feel "completely in my element" (no matter the duration of time)?
What happens when I feel "completely in my element"?
What factors might I be able to incorporate into every day life?
Oh my, what happened here?
It may have been a not so great pack job in my backpack . . .
Let's talk about Baggage.
Baggage gets a bad rap - especially when it comes to relationships. Especially in regards to women.
"She's got a lot of baggage."
'I don't want to deal with anyone's baggage.'
Baggage, baggage, baggage.
Baggage is bad, Bad, BAD.
And if you've got it, there's something wrong with you and no one will want to deal with it. Thus no one will want to deal with you.
WHOA. That's a lot.
And it doesn't feel good at all.
So allow me to offer an alternative perspective.
Baggage - the emotional, mental, and perhaps even physical experiences, traumas, beliefs, and view points of one's lived experience - is not bad.
Collect all of the baggage you can. It's proof of living.
Baggage can, however, be heavy.
This is why it's important to sort through the baggage. This will happen at different times, for different people. There is no rule for when this needs to happen or what it needs to look like.
But it needs to happen in order to live a life that feels free and light.
We've [all] got to go through our own baggage so we can lighten our own loads.
We've got to upgrade to some wheels.
We can think of going through our baggage as we would sorting through a plentiful wardrobe.
We can't wear all of the things we've accumulated, and likely we don't want to. We have the opportunity to curate the exact look, feel, and learned life lessons we want to keep and use in the future.
We get to choose what we pack in our luggage.
And that's the difference.
Baggage is simply future luggage. We just haven't done the sorting yet.
I played horseshoes with my sister a few weekends ago.
Boy, was the game full of surprises - and I'm not even referring to my consistent and accurate aim!
Surprise #1 - Hidden Loot
The park we play horseshoes in has a row of 10ish throwing pitches. We have a pitch we typically play at, and this time was no different. However, something did catch our eye in the pitch next to us.
Was that stake freshly painted?
Naturally, we investigated. As we began lifting up the pitch cover we saw something -
it was a purse!
WHOA! My brain immediately started running various scenarios as to how the purse got there and what might be inside.
The purse was clearly hidden intentionally. Also clear to us was the need to look inside the purse. What if we could return it?
"Don't touch it! Use a stick," my sister smartly advised.
I grabbed the stick she offered me and lifted the opening of the unzipped top pouch. We peered inside and saw . . .
a set of horseshoes! All 4 of them!!
Surprise #2 - Horseshoes can break
In what inevitably became our last round of the game we discovered something we never thought possible. Horseshoes can break. Like, snap in half, sort of break.
My sister threw her final shoe. As it hit the ground I saw something fly upon impact.
"Your shoe just broke!"
'What?! No, it didn't!'
It did.
'What's a broken horseshoe supposed to mean? We should look it up!'
It was such an unexpected and shocking occurrence we were sure there had to be some significance.
*******
Later that evening we looked up the meaning of a broken horseshoe.
...oof - it meant bad luck...
But finding horseshoes is said to be good luck. And we found FOUR.
So, surely that would cancel any shifts of luck and leave us the same as we were. Right???
I don't know. But honestly, it doesn't matter. Because, whether you believe in luck or not, perspective is everything.
Think about it - if your perspective is that you 'have luck,' what is your outlook like?
What's your attitude like?
How do you perceive challenges when you 'have luck' on your side?
The answers to these questions will reveal what your perspective of 'having luck' is - regardless of if you find a horseshoe, a four leaf clover, a leprechaun* or simply exist.
We can all live lives filled with 'luck' - and it starts with our perspective.
*let the record show I spelled this right on the first try (and I find it a hard word to spell)!
Often what we see is quickly determined within a manner of seconds, if not less.
Because of this reason, I challenge you to pick an item and take it in.
Take it ALL in.
Consider different perspectives and layers of focus. Train your eye.
For instance, take this Dandelion seed head:
Ok, I've seen these before. Looks like pretty much every other seeding Dandelion I've seen . . .
Great! Now look closer, through different levels of focus . . .
. . . these pictures just look increasingly blurry . . .
To the untrained eye. To the quick eye. To the impatient eye. Yes, that's probably true.
But to the observant and lingering eye they show different parts.
The Obvious : The surface, the seed heads closest to us.
The Perceptible : The middle ground, the seed stems.
The Hidden : The back side, the seed heads farthest away from us.
These three parts - the obvious, the perceptible, and the hidden - are found in everything.
In every person, place, and thing.
In every idea and theory.
In every dream and wish.
Each part brings with it deeper complexity. And with deeper complexity comes greater understanding.
We can choose to live the obvious, surface level life. A life in which no extra time or consideration is taken to what we do or why we do it.
We can choose to explore the perceptible, middle ground life. A life in which a moderate amount of time and consideration is taken to assess the factors of life surrounding us. A life of greater meaning.
We can choose to unlock the hidden life. A life in which great time and consideration is taken to determine what brings us happiness, meaning and satisfaction. A life that once didn't even seem possible or we didn't even know existed. A life that feels and does good.
We get to choose.
Train your eye.
And remember to always ask yourself - where are you looking?
