LIVE LOVE LAUGH

Iam blessed with the most awesome, loving, fabulous family and some years ago we all (except my son and his daughters) celebrated Christmas by potlucking at my house. There were 17 family members gathered around my big table and harmony reigned as the house was full of happy chatter, laughing, eating, and clowning around.

Later that evening 10 went home and 6 others set up camp in my house, while pillows and comforters and tri-fold mattresses came out of their closet home to add to the chaos. That’s okay, I thought, tomorrow we’ll have another day of fun and frolicking with the family.

What happened next proved once again that John Lennon was right when he said, “Life is what happens when you’re making other plans.”

Picture this – on second thought – don’t picture it: the septic system backed up and my bathroom floor flooded. It was ankle-deep and since there’s no lip on my walk-in shower, the fluids just continued winding their way under the cabinet and out into the hallway – soaking my white carpeting.

You don’t need the details of how I bailed and cleaned up for seven straight hours and ripped out the carpeting in the hallway. The real point of this story is that from time to time, life just sucks.

While dealing with this domestic disaster, I realized the most important “goal” every day is awareness consciousness – monitoring the state of my own consciousness – and totally accepting “what is.” And that’s what I did.

It didn’t change what was happening in my manifested world but it certainly helped me keep a sense of humor and stay focused in the “now.”

Stress, which upsets our ability to just live, laugh, love and stay healthy, doesn’t come from what’s happening to us, but from our reaction to what’s happening.

The cells in our body respond to our consciousness, as the scientific field of epigenetics shows us. Prominent cell biologists like Dr. Bruce Lipton tell us that our reaction to each new experience triggers genetic changes in our cells.

If what you’re experiencing makes you want to tear your hair out and scream at the top of your lungs, go ahead. In the beginning. You don’t want to suppress your frustration and have it explode with more force later.

But then start creating a habit of practicing awareness consciousness by watching your thoughts. You’ll be amazed at how calm you can be with “what is” - no matter what stuff is happening when you’re making other plans. ■