I really resonated with an April 17, 2013 Facebook post by Lissa Rankin, MD, author of the new book, Mind over Medicine: Scientific Proof that You Can Heal Yourself. Here is the post in entirety (used with permission):
“What if confusion, uncertainty, indecision, and lack of clarity didn’t paralyze you or throw you into fits of anxiety and impatience? What if you could just make peace with the fact that, sometimes, there’s nothing to do. It’s time to simply await further instructions and trust that the way will be shown to us when the timing is right.
What if there was no judgment around times when the future is fuzzy? What if you’re not flaky or clueless or lacking insight or wrong when you’re not sure what’s next? What if it’s just part of the process, and our only job during these times is to be mindful, pay attention to Signs from the Universe, listen clearly for further instructions, and then trust the instructions when they come so we can be brave enough to take action when the call comes?
Try this prayer: “If I’m meant to do something, please make the action clear. If I’m meant to wait, please grant me peace.”
When I read this I felt calmer during a confused, “fuzzy” time. I was more able to be still, rest, remember to breathe, and await further instructions. Two poems came to mind to help me.
This Is the Moment I Have
not tomorrow
with its joy or sorrow.
This is the moment—
when I floss my teeth,
and stand on two strong legs,
smiling in the mirror
at a face topped by hair.
This moment of easy breathing
with husband and children
deeply sleeping nearby.
This moment with fresh, cool
spring air blowing in my window
from a dark, rich night capped by stars.
This is the moment I have,
not next week or next month,
however much time and energy
I spend planning them.
How often am I actually
here…
in this only moment I have?
Margaret Dubay Mikus
© 1997
From As Easy as Breathing
and my CD, Full Blooming
Illinois Rest Stop Copyright 2006 MDMikus
Still You Know
For Karen
When you’re driving
down a road
wrapped in deepest fog
still you know
you trust
the road is there.
Whether you’ve gone down
this road a million times
or just one,
though you can’t see
beyond your nose,
still you know the road is there.
You may slow,
you may be cautious
and cling to the center stripe,
still you head
where you are going,
still you trust.
Margaret Dubay Mikus
© 1998
From As Easy as Breathing
This is not the same as being in denial or avoidance. This is the natural cycle of replenishment and reevaluation necessary to wielding our true creative power in the world. I like this idea of awaiting further instructions…in whatever form they may come to me.
What do you do when your life seems stalled? Spin your wheels or settle into it? Let germinate or rush off to be doing something…anything to keep moving?