PEBBLE
Everyone knows firsthand that life is messy and painful, beautiful and unpredictable. The endless practice is keeping our heart open to the whole of it.
~Mark Nepo, shared by Matt in Ohio
BOULDER
Either you do it like it’s a big weight on you,
or you do it as part of the dance…
Do you do from UGH or do it like AH?
Do you surf through it all,
or do you carry it around like it’s a load?
~Ram Dass (lightly edited), shared by Joan of Albany, NY
PONDER
I’m pretty sure that every single person reading this has some Good Stuff in their life. Unfortunately, they most likely have some Yuck, too.
Yuck isn’t evenly or fairly distributed, and some Yuck is definitely bigger than other Yuck. And oh goodness gracious I want to be clear: regardless of its dimension, or duration, it should be stated plainly and without hesitation: Yuck sucks.
Unfortunately, it’s also inevitable. Yuck is kinda like dirty dishes. No matter how many times you wash the dishes….the very next time you eat or drink something…OMG HOW AM I ALREADY BACK TO HAVING DIRTY DISHES TO CLEAN? (Can you tell this is one way Yuck shows up in my life?)
I find Yuck less unpleasant, and less paralyzing, when I keep in mind that it is an inevitable part of a full life. Yuck can even be useful…helping us strengthen our growth muscles and also deepening our appreciation of the Good Stuff in our lives.
I don’t think we have to celebrate it’s existence like it’s an awesome new Oreo flavor. (You’re welcome). But let’s face it: we can get stuck in the Yuck when we attempt to deny its inevitable existence in our life and/or ignore its potential to help us prosper.
Here’s an invitation for this week: can you identify some Yuck, maybe something on the smaller side, and ask yourself if there is a way to tweak your relationship to it, a shift from UGH to AH? Instead of dreading it, a minor tweak might allow you to tolerate it…or accept it…or maybe even try to like it a bit? Don’t go too far, just far enough…and see what happens. And for goodness sakes, tell me how it goes.
Peace,
Paul
