Good morning, everyone ~
Summer has not exactly taken us by surprise. We expected it to happen. Yet, the sudden arrival continues to catch us off guard. One day, we are wrapping protective covers around our tender plants, guarding against a cold snap that threatens their existence. The next we’re sweltering in Summer’s triple-digit heat/humidity, watering those same plants now drooping from drought.
Unlike a puzzle, which grows simpler with each additional piece of information, we are in a “season” of global mystery. The daily news adds to our confusion/uncertainty, not only of what’s going on but also what to expect next. Hope rises as COVID-19 restrictions are eased. Stress hormones, however, remain at harmfully high levels, as the world becomes more violent. Instead of Life being a puzzle that we can resolve with wisdom gained through time, it feels more like a mystery that only grows deeper.
Before we lose ourselves in that deepening mystery, let’s STOP. Take a slow breath. Let it out with a sigh or a cry or a scream; then, breathe again.
It won’t cure COVID. It won’t bring about world peace. It will, for just a few moments, halt the production of stress hormones in your body. We have been on high-alert levels of stress hormones for too long. We need to remind the brain/body of our personal levels of “normal”. Otherwise, the abnormal becomes the “new normal”, and senseless violence replaces human compassion. Peace is an “inside job”. It begins inside your own mind. It will NOT end global madness, cure cancer, feed the hungry, solve world mysteries. It WILL, however, ease your mind to some degree — all without drugs, alcohol, pills, potions.
STOP. Breathe. Sigh. Repeat. Side-effects could include inner peace. Now isn’t that a puzzle worth piecing together? It’s not “rocket science”, folks. It isn’t expensive or difficult to do. Your brain/body will thank you for it.
Last Week’s Challenges:
(A) Whose philosophy is it? “It’s not how much you spend, it’s how much you make. … It’s not for using; it’s for giving.”
ANSWER: Ron Poeil, the Ronco king.(B)
What multibillion-dollar business did he create?
ANSWER: Veg-o-Matic … with the financial help of the Alcoa Corporation. If you remember those old TV commercials, you’ll recall several of his o-Matic inventions … choppers, dicers, cookers, etc. You may also recall that the Alcoa Corporation backed larger interests, such as early space-exploration, satellites, and cell towers that provide us today with phone/Internet/TV services, and larger endeavors such as drone warfare.
Who got the answers? Peggy-F and the family! Congratulations, and how impressive that you are the consistent winners in the weekly challenges.
All things are connected. In this current world-wide web of staying socially connected, let’s not lose connection with our internal “normal” conditions/connections. Sustained high-levels of stress hormones can either take a lethal toll or harm vital organs. Stop the o-Matic internal cycle that will slice-n-dice your inner world to bits. Take a “commercial break”. Even a short break is beneficial. Remember who you were and how you were before all the outer world-madness erupted. Breathe.
To paraphrase the king: “It’s not how much stress you can take, it’s how you manage your own body’s responses. Your health is not for abusing; it’s for normal living.”
This Week’s Challenges:
Household products, commercial messages, generational brand-loyalties — these are referred to as “psychological furniture of our lives”. Things that we surround our day-to-day lives with in a mostly unconscious way. Why do you buy that particular brand of mayonnaise or hair-color product or toothpaste or … ? Was it the brand your mother used? Did the commercial jingle stick in your head and replay itself as you walked the aisles of the grocery store?
Challenge A: What “psychological furniture” inhabits your home?
Challenge B: Why?
Challenge C: If our “psychological furniture” is chosen for familiarity, what other types of psychological furniture are we unconsciously gathering as daily violence becomes increasingly familiar?
Let’s give ourselves the gift of inner peace. If only for a moment, let there be a peace-filled breath made, with conscious intent. It’s a commodity worth creating. It’s a value that we need to furnish our minds with; and a gift to self that gives to others. Better than any multi-billion dollar business, eh?
Stay safe. Stay kind. Stay as self-calming as possible, moment-by-moment. It’s furniture for the mind that your brain/body will thank you for!
Gentle hugs/much love,
Marian
© Marian Griffey, 5/28/2021
ACPA Facilitator