And so it's summer!—at least for those of us above the Equator.
It seems so odd to me to be stepping into the season of long, warm days of leisure while at the same time, the days themselves are already getting shorter. It's another reminder that beginnings and endings are all around us all at the same time. Transitions are ongoing and time is not a switch that's flicked from one moment to the next.
The more we can remember this and settle into it, the easier it is to be with the only constant—change. So let's continue the practice of being with what is—instead of what we might like it to be—and explore the first moment we encounter someone or something new to us:
"Don't get confused between a thing itself and the first time
you come across it." (ML Stedman)
You know that moment—we've all been there many, many times. There's that rush of possibility, or resonance or instant connection. We immediately and completely feel known and at home. This is the beginning of something wonderful!
Or, conversely, we've just encountered that new person or situation and we're taken aback, on alert or even repelled. Either way, we're not quite able to experience the moment for what it truly is. We're already fantasizing what this bodes—be it positive or negative.
If we're leaping ahead we're bound to be disappointed when our magical thinking comes crashing back to earth. And if we're dipping into the past, then we're short circuiting any riches that may we waiting for us right now.
This is another great reminder to stay in the present and let it inform you, rather than falling into what once was or might yet be. Then we can keep our wits about us and just let the moment
unfold.
What do you do to make sure you "Don't Get Confused" (3:21)?
