Living on the Edge

In human nature, the only quality you can predict is change because it always happens. Either you prepare for it or it comes to you unexpectedly. As harsh and unjust as it may seem it is important how you adapt to the situation. Life and growth, the material world, everything within and around us could not proceed without change.

Thus, at all times in your life and in the world, it is your reality. It is as if you can perceive its imminent arrival. A day that seems calm and peaceful can suddenly change, when, all of a sudden, you notice the wind begins to pick up force while throwing you from your complacency. Why is that? Why must anyone be thrown from comfortable to chaos? Simply because, if you never encounter life altering situations you will stagnate into an endless cycle that never arrives anywhere but back to the beginning. In other words, without change your life becomes a repetitious and tedious cycle of nothing, no challenges, no lessons, and no growth.

For example, after experiencing many "out of the blue" transitions, I felt as if I had no control over my life. Before I understood the necessities of these seamless transitions, I felt as if I had a gray cloud hovering over my head. At the time it was difficult to keep a positive attitude and realize all the upheavals were opportunities placed before me to CHANGE my attitude and behavior. However, the revelations I encountered were spiritual truths that gave me an understanding of my work and life purpose. These revelatory experiences, although disturbing, repeatedly echoed what I needed to do in order to work on the habits and patterns that for many lives were not cleansed and released. When I decided to listen and change bad habits my situation improved. The more I resisted the harder my situation became.

As a result, I realized I could not fight back in anger because every time I did I encountered more opposition. I then decided to let go and allow fate to lead me. You cannot run from fate, for when you try it's as if you are thrown into a whirlpool and then realize you've created another challenging experience. The universe will give you as many spins in the whirlpool as you want and can handle. Though, when you reach a point when you can honestly say, "I’ve have had enough ", and decide to make an honest effort to change bad habits and attitudes, you will begin to see your hopes and dreams come to fruition. Furthermore, any negative reaction and resistance to go with the flow of change is what holds you within the barriers you have built. You then become rigid in your way of thinking and stay determined to hold on to what is comfortable. In turn, you forget what you have set in motion on a subconscious (soul) level before you incarnated. By refusing to be in harmony with your soul and accept the transformations you must make in each life, the farther back you will remain on your evolutionary path. Why go in reverse and hit a wall when you can put yourself in drive and move forward where the path is clear and possibilities are endless.

In addition, the most important fact to remember when a situation in your life calls for you to change your home, job, relationship, etc., is to remain calm and objective. Changes and upheavals are the tests in your life that help you learn to act without reacting temperamentally. Remember I mentioned earlier, the soul always wins and everything happens for a higher purpose. For this reason, you mold your life into the direction you are destined to follow. Not what you consciously think you want and need, but what is for your greatest and highest good. Besides, why resist what is going to happen anyway. Trying to control the situation will be useless energy. Change is inevitable and is a quality needed for any person, purpose or event to move forward.

Therefore, the best way to handle sudden change in your life is to stand back and take a slow, deep breath. As you release the breath slowly from your mouth repeat to yourself, "I am calm and realize that I will receive clarity and understanding." By practicing this exercise you will be reinforcing patience and strength while realizing everything happens for a reason. Although this may not be easy to do, it is better to think things through in a calm, rational manner. If you do the opposite and react, you will feel more confused and in the dark having no one else to blame but yourself. Whatever it takes for you to remain calm - DO IT- or you will find yourself having to resolve another situation. Until you change your attitude toward transitions, which is an important quality and reality of life, you will continue to experience a life of ups and downs.

For example, think of your life as a gift. And with this gift you are given a rose. A rose cannot bloom with color and fragrance unless it adapts to the changing cycles and weather. Similar to the rose you have thorns that sting and petals that are soft and provide a sweet and fresh fragrance. With petals you are a creative and loving human being. With thorns you are stiff and do not bend or grow. What's more, the petal is flexible and moves with the flow of the wind, which is a symbol of change. If the petal falls and dies it is reborn again by yet another in its place because it adapts to change and is flexible. Therefore, the rose is given everlasting love and light.

Accordingly, YOU are the rose of now and in the future. Be a petal and go with the flow of change and you will never die as the thorn does. Instead, your life will be filled with harmony, contentment and attainment of what you came here to achieve. As a result of your efforts you will be reborn into a new and higher love, light and consciousness that shares the experience of change with others.

To the same extent, all the varied experiences and situations that you evolve through are ones that you create in order to learn to respect and understand yourself and others. Becoming more flexible is part of being human. Refusing to remove the rough edges and walls you build around yourself is a detriment to your growth and happiness. It further suppresses negative emotions that you must eventually release. Yet, trusting in a higher source to bring to you all the abundance you deserve in life arrives only when you learn to be more flexible and adapt to change. Moreover, nobody's life should be a series of mishaps and endless roller coaster rides, but for some people this does happen. In reality you create such circumstances to master the art of acting without reacting. Nevertheless, once you take the first step toward making an effort to change old behavior patterns you will be guided from within to go with, not against, the flow. To do this: In the next chapter there is an important technique that will help you adjust to any upheavals in your life. Also, practicing the techniques in the next two chapters will help you focus your energy toward positive thoughts and feelings; the best medicine to maintain a healthy body, mind and soul. As you read keep an open mind, experiment, and you will find yourself having a thirst for more knowledge.

In conclusion, nobody will take you by the hand and show you the way. You experience each stage of your life similar to that of an actor in a play. You interact with people on a conscious and subconscious level and give to one another what each person needs to precede in their life's purpose. However, it is important to remember that you should not stereotype yourself into the same old role. Instead, you should move with the flow of change and experience the new, which, in reality, is the growth you have come here to achieve. This is exactly why changes occur for you, so you can return to your True Self. Think about it!

(Pat began Enlightenment Publications to educate, heal and inspire others toward living a healthy and productive life, while in harmony with their souls’ purpose. To read her prose and poetry visit her website at: enlightenmentpublications.com)