One day, years ago, I was driving home in Los Angeles after having had a lovely afternoon with my prayer partner. We had done hours of spiritual practice and enjoyed each other’s company very much. It had been an inspiring and uplifting afternoon.
On the way home, I had the thought “you could have frozen yogurt for dinner.” Frozen yogurt is so popular in L.A. and sometimes I’d have it for dinner. It was a healthy treat, especially from a place in my neighborhood that had a particularly healthy version of frozen yogurt.
As I was driving, I could feel something wasn’t quite right about the idea of having frozen yogurt for dinner that day. My Higher Holy Self gave me the thought: Ask who is it that wants the frozen yogurt?
So, I asked myself, “who wants the frozen yogurt?”
I knew immediately that it was the ego/personality that wanted the frozen yogurt, and I understood why. In the past, sometimes I would get frozen yogurt and go overboard with the toppings and have too much of a good thing and my stomach didn’t really like it. Then, I’d feel badly about myself and my sense of self-control.
In this particular case, I was feeling so uplifted and inspired from my afternoon of spiritual practice. My ego was looking for a way to trick me into self-sabotage. Frozen yogurt seemed like a healthy treat, but in the past I could overdo it and maybe the ego could have it’s way with me.
I tuned into my body and what would best serve me to eat for dinner. The answer was clear: chicken and vegetables. I already had those at home. I went home, fixed dinner, ate it and felt so good.
That experience was such a learning for me. I learned that if it doesn’t feel quite right, but it makes sense logically, it’s best to tune in, tune UP and to question it – to see if there’s a higher choice. That chicken and vegetables tasted better and felt better because it was the more loving choice.
We can convince ourselves that the delicious dessert, second cup of coffee, that extra glass of wine, or whatever is no big deal. AND it’s not a big deal. It’s never about what we eat or drink – it’s the motivation for it. It’s all about the reason we’re choosing it.
It may seem like a lot of work to start to pay attention to the reasons for your choices, but when you’re happier, feeling better and suffering less, you won’t mind the extra effort. When you think about it, and look at your choices, you’ll see that it takes a lot of effort to be miserable. Before you know it, you’ll be automatically making the more loving choices!
Happiness isn’t sleep-walking. As it says so beautifully in A Course in Miracles, “rest comes from waking, not from sleeping.” We’re waking up and it feels good!
It’s so valuable to train ourselves to perceive the higher choices, the more loving choices. They’re always there for us. A little bit of willingness every day can turn a very big tide!
Here’s where eating and drinking becomes a real part of our spiritual practice – it becomes part of our liberation. We’re relaxing into Spirit when we become mindful. We’re stepping into the flow of Love and the All Good when we become more mindful. Mindfulness is a powerful, life-changing spiritual practice!
Spiritual practice SAVES time that would otherwise be spent in suffering.
Invest in spiritual practice rather than in suffering.
As we continue on in our 40 day reboot of Pray & Clear and beyond, let’s continue to look for ways we can be more attentive to our Self-Love and Self-Care without becoming obsessed or fearful of making a mistake. We’re learning and discovering as we go. We’re paying attention to what does and doesn’t feel good and why. Please share the higher choices your noticing and how it feels to choose them in our facebook group!
If you’re finding what I’m sharing to be helpful won’t you please share at facebook and twitter to let others know? Thank you!
Come run away with me! Check out my Stop Playing Small Retreat this May in North Carolina! ALSO I’m offering my Spiritual Counseling Intensive Training again – check it out, also in May in North Carolina!
