Day 218 - A Year of Spiritual Awakening - When Things Are Destroyed...

Photo by Hermes Rivera on Unsplash

Lesson 218: When Things Are Destroyed...

When nature destroys, it’s a shock to the world when a disaster takes so much. It’s in these moments where people practise from their heart of compassion to help in the widespread devastation that it can cause. Nature essentially can force change for us and this can be widespread or start with you to help radiate out. Today we are to think about a time nature caused a shift in our lives, because sometimes nature just chooses the right time for an event to occur in your life.

I think my volunteer trip to Thailand was brought on by nature. After some traumatic times last year, I needed some time for myself to really do something that would enrich my life. Nature had sparked on a spiritual change for me through my tragedy and then I saw a Facebook ad to volunteer overseas. I had never intended to volunteer overseas before, but then with me wanting to find something that would really give some more meaning to my life, I thought how perfect it was to go see elephants and help in a Thai village Surin.

What I was really shocked by was the amount of rubbish especially plastic that lined the canals that we travelled in when we went to a temple. It was a wakeup call to what we were doing to our planet but also showed me to live in a better way. Not only was I confronted by that, but it also made me realise how disconnected we are in the world. I tend to find in the Western world that we are educated about the harmful things plastic does to our planet but those living in non-first world countries wouldn’t have the same awareness. There were children swimming in these dirty canals but it was normal for them to not have clean water. It just really reminded me that even though we share this one planet, we are from completely different worlds. I really wanted to live differently at that point because if I don’t care for nature and start being an example, then others wouldn’t think to do the same. I need to be the change.

So, even though I could see clear destruction of nature in another country, it made me think how I could be better towards the planet. I’m honestly still working on it but the difference is, I’m not ignorant to what’s happening anymore.

Day 206 - A Year to Clear - Shift Happens

Photo by Linus Nylund on Unsplash

Lesson 206: Shift Happens

Today’s lesson is about knows that shifts can happen if you let them. Yes, you might have had the world fall apart and it seems like there is no way out, but if you change your worried thoughts into that of strength, it clear the blockages for a solution to come about. I think the main point is that you can’t change what’s already happened. What you can change is your mindset in working towards a better outcome from whatever disruption had come about in your life.

For me personally, the current shake up is work life and although it’s a major pain in my ass, it’s not really bogging me down with worry. Sure, it’s frustrating to not have any structure and direction, but that’s something I cannot control. What I am doing is trying to look at upskilling options and other jobs, because if I reassess my skills, there are some things that I can work on.

The only other worry that I had that really shook me with worry was when my light fixture was leaking water due to a flooding on an upper level. I was worried about it sparking and starting a fire which seems ridiculous as I type it out now. I worried about it at work all day and couldn’t wait to get home to ensure that my apartment wasn’t alight. I don’t even know if water can cause electrical outlets and fixtures to start sparking which leads to a fire. This was just the worry I had in my head. The way I shifted my thought process was just to tell myself, that it will dry, and once it’s dry, it shouldn’t spark and catch on fire (though I imagine any electricals could do this at any point really). Once I rung that through my head, it wasn’t a stress anymore.

As I go through this lesson, it’s almost like a speech you give yourself to talk yourself out of a bad situation. If you can find the positive and tell that to yourself, and maybe you might have some action plan to go with it, then you’ll overcome whatever is bothering you. Some issues obviously last longer than others, but if you stick to a plan that embraces clearing those negative thoughts out, it will eventually allow yourself to be open for positive outcomes.