ART- Accept, Remember and Transmute

For a vast part of my life I have been inspired by resource conservation.  How I could transmute physical waste into new life.  Emulating nature and showing respect for my environment helped me feel better.

Today I wish to transform a different type of trash into treasure.  Emotional baggage: worry, anxiety and other forms of fear and feelings of inadequacy.  Since we all share in these bountiful feelings how can a take what is here and now and best go forth?

First step for me is to recognize I have a choice.  Years ago I shared with a therapist my feelings of anxious energy and how I felt like a buzzing fluorescent light bulb.  It has taken me many years to discover this feeling is my life force or chi energy. 

The difference is how I choose to perceive and look at my situation.  Is it filled with Velcro for the bad and Teflon for the good or vice versa?

My choice toward greater freedom is when I pause and see everything as a blessing not a curse.  Many of my painful experience hurt so badly yet they provide me an invaluable lessons how I can lessen my suffering in the future. I can respond by pausing and reflecting or I can react sometimes mindlessly and face the consequences of not being fully present in my actions.

I grew up and live in a world filled with anxiety and worry.  However, I can creatively take this energy and best work with them to transform the crap into fertilizer. Since my thoughts can so easily assist me if I experiment with the power of my intentions.   At the same time my thinking can also enslaved me with doubt and fears.  Old ways of thinking can hinder me from fully understanding my true situation.  Such unproductive mental activity takes much effort and practice to change.  Releasing myself from many of my cynical mind-sets can provide me with less stress and more well being.

Moreover these same weather systems of difficult emotions has also I believe a corresponding external effect on the world we live in.  We all share a collective immune system.  When we add to it we prosper and when we subtract from it we suffer.  Becoming skillful how to handle negative baggage is an art. 

Accept, Remember and Transmute  (ART)

Accept what is emotionally happening allows me to see recognize my feeling/ mindset is not serving me or provides no benefit is paramount.

Remember that negative phenomenon also hold positive lessons or ingenious new ways I can best craft my mental lemons into lemonade.   Remembering is the key to stress management.  Do I wish to freak out or can I find more calming and useful ways to redefine my circumstances.

Transmute my old patterns of thinking from seeing my limitations to new possibilities. 

ART is about a three step process of being creative, flexible and wise.  What do I wish to do? Increase or decrease my suffering or add more drama to an already intense situation that so many times I have in the past created.  Or how can I best free myself from my habits that get me to take things too personal, serious or out of its true context.   ART is about healing and see the whole instead of the sum of the parts.

For example, when I am driving my car and the person ahead of me does not realize the traffic light has changed.  If I honk at them I create confrontation while if I pause and become curious when they awaken to the green light I find more peace from this experience.   

One of my relaxing experiences is kayaking since it teaches me to flow not resist the currents of the river.  Resisting life forces I always fail while when I flow with them I find grace.

My experience here can be painful, yet many times this pain also gives me insights to better cope and accept whatever comes my way.  This is an invaluable lesson as I get older since, old age, sickness and death are all inevitable.  The challenge is how I can best deal with life’s consequences.  Accept that worry is just wasted energy; Remember to let go; and Transmute to best manage my stress, is form of ART. I am not escaping my reality with ART, instead I am seeing how to be lighter and less dense with my life circumstances.