Several incidents lately have reminded me of the value of accepting What Is, rather than struggling futilely against circumstances I can’t change. If we hold rigidly to an agenda, despite what may be happening right in front of us which may be very different from what we wanted, we can waste a lot of energy, get upset, and often miss a golden opportunity to grow.
Recently I attended an energy medicine workshop. We students were so excited about getting together, as we’re like a family, and about working with our beloved teacher again. It was a big surprise to all of us, including our teacher, when she stopped at a medical facility for a quick checkup on her way to the airport to come be with us, and found out she was too sick to travel!
Yes, this could have been a disaster, with students coming from all over the world to work with her. Yet every one of us grew from this, the teacher who discovered she could lead a workshop from a distance over Skype (even doing healing work that way), the students who stretched to help others more than they had thought themselves capable of before, without their teacher physically present to lean on.
This idea of accepting what Life presents instead of fighting against it makes me think of vision, the contrast between having an expectation of what I’ll see (maybe before I even look!) vs. letting in and just receiving the scene in front of me. I want to allow my eyes and brain to see in a receptive welcoming manner, gently, not glaring and attacking the view, yet also not defeated and tuned out. I’m thinking of the way I look at a flower or a baby’s face, feeling open and safe and undefended, letting my visual energy reach all the way out to meet what I’m looking at, with joy and curiosity.
About 10 years ago, when I had just started reducing my eyeglasses prescription and still wasn’t doing much actual Bates work, my partner and I went to Cancun in Mexico for a week’s vacation. I’m kicking myself now at the memory, because I spent the entire time with -8 glasses plastered to my face, and still couldn’t see everything I wanted to. I recall being quite nervous and anxious. I had worn -10 hard contacts for decades, so yes, the glasses were a reduction, but I really wish I had gone without them completely in that bright sunshine, and started to let my natural vision re-emerge. I just wasn’t ready for that big of a change yet.
Today in NY is overcast with rain predicted for later, yet warm enough to have the window in front of me open, showing me the unobstructed luscious bright green of my front lawn. I can see a few of the nearer individual blades of grass, slightly, through the mesh of the screen. My healthy natural vision is still coming all the way back to vibrancy and Life, after being shut down for so long. This rich season of Spring reminds me constantly that every day, even every moment, is new, presenting another delight for my vision. Who needs Cancun when I have the vibrant foliage of NY state? My eyes and brain are so grateful for this constant abundant flow of images and textures and color!
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I wore strong glasses, then contact lenses, from age 5 into my 40s. While making many mistakes, eventually l learned how to improve the way I use my eyes and to see in a more relaxed, healthy manner. It is my pleasure to coach others to do the same. Visit me at https://NancyLNeff.com.