Sunday, September 14, 2008

Refocusing

I walked my neighborhood in support of Barack Obama yesterday. When I first started I was still in my week long Sarah Palin outrage stage. All week I have been exchanging e-mails and talking to my friends about her. The information I have gathered has been very useful. I began my walk in that place of resistance to what is. Sarah Palin, as she is, is running for Vice President. It seemed that in my place of negativity what I was getting back from the people I spoke to was negativity.I felt discouraged and drained.

Toward the middle of my walk I talked to two of my neighbors. They were at the democratic caucus and his talk about Obama was what convinced me to vote for Barack in the primary. We talked about how important it is to focus back on the issues and to release the continued focus on Sarah Palin to distract us from those issues. I have as much information as I need about Sarah Palin. I now intend to move my attention back to my vision of Barack Obama as president. In my vision Barack's level of integrity and passion for helping people will create a shift in this country toward people being freer to express caring about each other. In my vision the influence of the value that we are all in this together will be more a part of the fabric of our daily lives.

I learned a lesson yesterday. Refocusing on the positive qualities of Barack Obama as a person and on his plans for this country changed the quality of the second half of my campaign walk. There is a way that complaining feeds complaining. An us and them mentality is created and fed. Finding a common enemy is not the same as connection. The latter half of my walk was a much more positive experience. I felt enthusiasm from my neighbors and was grateful to be able to hang out with them and talk about possibilities. I came home feeling hopeful and nourished. This isn't the same as denial. I still feel the same feelings. It is now time to put my attention where it will create movement forward. That is what is needed now.

In my life I notice there is a time to let go of fretting and move my attention back to my circle. It is ok to be afraid. Fear and worry are different. Worry has an obsessive quality that spins the story around and around.Worry's usefulness is as a vehicle to bring us back down into our bodies beneath the story to the sensation of the fear. From there we can comfort ourselves and be with the fear and allow it to release. Then action that supports our truth can emerge. Even if we don't know what to do we can embrace "don't know mind" in a way that feels more peaceful. What are you worrying about? Would you be willing to mindfully go down into your body and embrace the fear beneath the worry?

No comments: