Becoming Comfortable With Uncertainty

Today is a beautiful Sunday morning here in North Carolina. The weather is unexpectedly cool—around 60° F and breezy.

I walked down to the Access Lot. For those of you not living near a lake, an access lot is one piece of property in a housing development that provides access to the lake for the people living in that development. Our lot has two boat ramps, a small swimming area and a dock.

The dock has a walkway that extends into the water and at the end is a portable platform that is literally attached to four tall posts. The platform raises and lowers with the water level of the lake. Walking on it takes getting used to because it rocks with the water's movement.

It was too pretty a day not to spend some time sitting on that platform.

I sat down to meditate. What an unusual feeling!

The platform itself was hard and solid under my butt—but under the platform everything was shifting with the movement of the waves.

As I breathed, I became aware of the breeze on my face, the sun shining warmly on my back and the shushing of the waves.

Is it possible to relax into the uncomfortable, unsteady movement of the platform?

That was the question that I posed to myself. I changed it into an intention for my meditation by asking: Is it possible to relax and be peaceful, when I don’t like the uncertainty or the unknown elements of my life at this moment in time?

Today’s answer in that moment in time, on that hard wooden, but moving dock platform, was YES.

It took about 30 minutes and the conscious choice to relax.

The most surprising part of the exercise was the balance that it required. Since I had impulsively decided to meditate, I hadn’t brought a pillow or blanket to sit upon. I needed to find the balance point between relaxing my lower back, keeping a slight tension on my hip muscles and remembering to lift my chest so I could breathe properly.

It was an odd feeling. I was NOT comfortable.

But I did relax. I could feel my tense muscles, the ones I hold almost subconsciously, release. But it wasn’t a simple release, it was a tightening and a lessening, tightening and lessening—all in response to the movement of the platform. It took time, but I ended up very relaxed.

Relaxing was much more than a “giving up” of tension, it was more like a “give and take” with my environment. A moving connection.

If you haven’t read anything by the Buddhist nun, Pema Chodron, please check out the link below to her book Comfortable With Uncertainty.

Thanks for sharing a few minutes with me.
Ellen

Ellen Wass Beckerman
Writer/Photographer/Graphic Designer
www.gardentextures.com


Comfortable With Uncertainty by Pema Chodron

Link to her website
Pema Chodron

Link to Shambala Books to this specific book
Comfortable With Uncertainty

REVERSE Busy-ness in Five Minutes

Everyone is busy today. Busy-ness CLOSES doors, DECREASES our interactions with other people, and SHUTS DOWN our hearts and minds.

Busy-ness IS REVERSIBLE.

GIVE yourself the gift of 5 minutes. Set a timer and do one of the things below.

WARNING SIGN: If your first thought upon reading the sentence above is “I don’t have the time!!”; then you should do this exercise immediately.

FIVE THINGS to do in only FIVE MINUTES
1) MEDITATE. Listen to Your Breathing. Relax.
You don’t have to DO anything. Stop. Listen. Breathe. Create the space for something unscheduled come into your life.

2) STRETCH with 5 Sun Salutations (Or any exercise of your choice.)
How many times have you been told to exercise 30 minutes a day? You haven't begun yet, because you can't figure out where the extra time could possibly come from.

Start with five minutes instead. Many of us set goals so high and objectives so big that we are overwhelmed before we begin. (Failing in the beginning of a goal is a great excuse to stop.)

START with a goal that is so simple, so easy, and so much fun that you will succeed immediately. Increase your goals SLOWLY and in SMALL steps. SUCCEED with each step. String together lots of successes over a period of time and you can achieve a really big goal in a fun, easy way.

3) REFLECT on 5 things in your life.
Focus is the key to achieving almost everything. Being busy all the time saps our strength and causes us to feel a sense of loss or a feeling of being deprived. Acknowledge your accomplishments and your blessings. Take a moment to feel positive about what you've done before moving on to the next task on your list.

Note: Sometimes and in some situations, we may not feel grateful for anything. If that is your case, then I extend a big, heartfelt hug to you and recommend that you try the Meditation exercise. Create a moment of space and comfort. Rest. By changing your awareness, you’ll allow the space for something good to happen in your life.

4) REMEMBER the first time in your life that you were happy.
It's ironic that some of our worst moments and memories in life often stick with us longer than our happy ones. Change the groove of your record (Or in more up-to-date terms: Change the song on your MP3!) Think about happy times. What qualities that made them memorable? Can you add more of those qualities to your life today?

5) TELL Someone Them You Love Them & Why
I have had many people tell me: “Of course, I love my spouse, my parents, etc.”

BUT, how would they know?

Do you call them? Do you email them? A lack of communication leads to a loss of connection. If YOU are feeling lonely, then someone you love could also be feeling lonely.

Our connections are our strength. Love gives us more than enough energy to get through a busy day. The next time you are tempted to buy something because you are feeling empty or lonely—Spend a Moment Instead Of A Dollar—tell someone you love them.


NAME one thing you would do, if you had five minutes

NAME one reason why you aren’t doing it.


Thanks for sharing five minutes with me.
Ellen

Ellen Wass Beckerman
Writer/Photographer/Graphic Designer
www.gardentextures.com