Sun on a tree makes peace within me

I have decided it’s time I change my thinking around SPAM. No, not the SPAM of meat by-product fame, but rather, the SPAM of internet proliferation polluting my InBox every morning with stupid ads for stupid things I do not need.  (Ooops, I slipped.) I mean, the SPAM that leaves messages for me every morning in my InBox. (whew! That’s better.)

Oh, and while I’m at it, I’m going to make peace with the stupid crow who sits outside my bedroom every morning squawking at the damn squirrel who’s trying to steal food from the birdfeeder, or is it trying to dig up the bulbs, again, that  I just planted.

Oh, and what about that nerdy driver who must wait for me to reach that intersection every morning because for the past week he’s been there three days in a row and each time he’s cut me off and I’ve had to slam on my brakes and…. I know it’s the same guy ’cause I memorized his license plate so he must know it’s me which is why I know he’s doing it on purpose.

And I breathe.

Being angry about life’s little ups and downs over which I sometimes feel helpless takes a lot of energy. And it disturbs my peace of mind.

And I wonder…. is that what leads people to pack weapons into a crowded room and start firing indiscriminately? Is that what causes us to blow gaskets in our minds and steam all over the place? Feeling helpless over the big and small things of life and believing there’s only one way to make a difference?

I know it’s not as simple as that. I know being angry at the stupid crow, I mean, the crow outside my window, is not going to lead me to get a rifle and shoot it, even though I sometimes lie in bed in the morning and imagine doing just that. No. Cancel that thought. I don’t. Really. Though I do think about sneaking outside and blasting it with water streaming from the hose…

But, if all things are connected, and we are all connected, then that man in Wisconsin’s actions are connected to my thinking. And in my thinking are the seeds of discord. And in those seeds, anything can grow.

It’s being conscious of the seeds I’m planting that makes the difference between our connection.

In Wisconsin, a man kills seven people and injures many more, and the people affected open their doors to their community to invite their neighbours in. And in that gesture, understanding, compassion, community, forgiveness and peace are invited in too.

I am not in any way trying to minimize or suggest what he did was acceptable. It was deadly and will have lasting repercussions in the community — which is why I admire the Sikh community’s move to create peace, and not fuel the flames of anger and discord further.

All things are connected. If I follow the thread of my anger about the crow outside my window, where will it lead?

I’m not saying I will invite the crow into my house. No way. But, what I do need to be conscious of are the thoughts I invite to take seed in my mind. Nurturing seeds of discord creates more discord. Being open to the willingness to let those thoughts not take root creates greater opportunity for seeds of harmony to flourish.

Louise Hay, author of You Can Heal Your Life, writes, “It’s only a thought and a thought can be changed.”

Perhaps it’s not about changing my thoughts around the SPAM or the crows or the squirrel or the driver or…. Perhaps it’s learning to simply delete the SPAM without the angry outbursts and expletives. Learning to roll over and bury my head under the pillow when the crow squawks or closing the window or investing in earplugs. Or, simply letting the experience flow free and not giving my angry thoughts room to take root and grow more anger.

There are many ways to make a difference in the world. And always, they begin in my thinking.

I cannot change what happened in Wisconsin, or anywhere else in the world. I can add my prayers and let them ripple out and connect to the prayers of millions of others. I can consciously choose to create harmony throughout my world today by being that which I wish to create more of in the world. Peace, Love and Joy.

Namaste.