Wednesday Wysdom
"I can be changed by what happens to me, but I refuse to be reduced by it."
Great words by Maya Angelou. Words that have guided my actions this week. From this inspirational phrase, I found my Self dancing... Dancing at 10:30 at night while I was frying chicken wings and making side dishes for a house full of teenage boys. Who starts frying chicken at 10:00 at night?!?!?! But the boys needed to eat and rather than complain about having to get out of the bed and cook, I allowed my Self to be filled with joy for the task. I danced around the kitchen to the music that was playing inside of my head. I ran up and down and up and down the steps editing the latest video posted on the Kintsugi Living Sadhana Community and Classroom website. Those that know me know I have a heart condition and walking up a flight of stairs causes me to breathe like I just ran a marathon... I fried 15+ pieces of chicken and made two sides. I also completed the editing for a creative video, saved it in two formats -- time lapsed and full length -- and uploaded them both while I completed the post that they are attached to. All of this between 10:30 at night and midnight while cooking for the kids.
Many of us would have been daunted by the tasks described above when being done at 10:30 p.m. Frying the chicken alone would have caused most of us to be cranky. But rather than let what was happening to me change me -- make me cranky, I DANCED! I danced around the kitchen to the music that was playing in my head. I danced up and down the steps each time I went to check the progress of the technology between flipping chicken wings over and making sides. I danced in front of my Surface Pro as I "watched the paint dry" while the software was saving and then uploading the videos. I danced in front of the stove with chicken grease popping...
I danced because I refused to let what was happening reduce me!
It wasn't until I was able to sit down and enjoy some of the fresh fried chicken that I realized what had transpired. It was nearly midnight by the time I was done and sitting with a plate in front of me. But what I realized is two-fold:
The 90 minutes it took for me to prepare dinner flew by; and,
Not once did I feel tired or resent that I had to cook after 10:00 at night...
I didn't allow the negative thoughts of "I can't believe I have to fry chicken at nearly midnight!" or "I'm down here frying chicken and I could be making art/reading/doing anything else" to enter my mind and change my perception. I didn't allow my thoughts to reduce me to an angry, cranky person. First -- I did not have to do anything! I chose to fry that chicken. My boys are 12 and 14 years old and their friends -- who basically live at my house too LOL -- are the same ages. Although I don't trust them frying chicken, there was other food in the house they could have made for themselves. I made the decision to fry the chicken that late at night. Why destroy my night by now being mad at my choice -- by being mad at what was happening to me? Perception is reality. I did not allow my perception to be changed by my circumstances.
And I danced. And I enjoyed frying chicken at nearly midnight. I had gotten up to do so because I chose to make my boys and their friends happy, I chose to cook them a meal rather than let them feast on quick fix boxed food/meals. And I didn't let the timing of the event -- the only "negative" in the task -- reduce me to an angry bird...
I encourage you to also allow the words of Maya Angelou sink into your heart. Take them to heart and refuse to allow your circumstances to reduce you. And DANCE! Dance through the moment and come out on the other side full of joy and not anger and bitterness. Dance until the frown is turned upside down. Dance away the negative emotions and perceptions. And even though you may change because of what's happening, allow your change to INCREASE you and not reduce you.
Ase!
