PEBBLE
Inner peace begins the moment you choose not to allow another person or event to control your emotions.
~Pema Chödrön, shared by Brett in Chicago, IL
BOULDER
When shit hits the fan, opportunities expand. Every challenge is an opportunity, and our triggers are teachers. They are all gifts to be grateful for since they show us exactly the parts of us that need attention and healing.
~Pamela Huggins, written and shared by Pamela in Hawi, HI
PONDER
There’s some yucky stuff from my younger days that unfortunately led to some significant heaviness that has at times significantly impacted my mood and outlook. Thanks to several rounds of therapy and lots of support from “Team Paul,” those symptoms are largely in my past.
But not completely.
Every once in a while, and sometimes without much warning, something shifts and it’s like an inner storm front moves through and stirs up my thoughts, feelings, and behavior. (Rude!)
What experience keeps teaching me is this: storm fronts pass. Even the hardest seasons in my life have been finite. When an inner storm first rolls in, though, this can be really hard to remember. I can too easily confuse “this may revisit me from time to time” with “this is never going to end.”
Healing has taught me that inner peace isn’t about never being triggered. It’s learning to meet turbulence with more steadiness, more skill, and a lot more tenderness.
Maybe you know something about inner storm fronts too—old hurts, sudden spirals, rough patches that seem much bigger when they first roll in? What if these fronts can remind us that a hard moment is not the whole story? A trigger, after all, can become a teacher without turning into a prophecy.
And the good news?
Storm fronts pass. Always.
Peace,
Paul
P.S. Therapy rocks. Highly recommend. Supportive family & friends rock, too. Also highly recommend.