SOMAS 601

Week 4 Hmk

Wherein I discuss my revelations about my fears.

I used to fear what people thought about me, I used to worry about interactions for days upon days.  Now that worry is reserved for interactions with people I respect and hold dear.   Interestingly I’ve never worried or been fearful of not receiving [insert item/goal here].

I’m fearful of success, success in every area of my life. Success in parenting, success with endeavors to create monetary wealth, success with treatment and demonstration, success with relationship maturation, success with my ideas….so I make little mental and material distractions to keep me from achieving success, mostly rooted in questioning my worthiness of crazy blinding success.  I am successful though if I follow what RW Emerson wrote.

When I’m a great parent I’ve got to keep acting in a compassionate and loving way all the time, even when I’m sick and tired of them all. I’ve been surrendering to the moments a lot more lately.

When I’m successful with my ideas, I’ve got to be accountable and represent myself and my idea with integrity.  There’ll be more work to do and I’m unsure of my tenuous maturity in this new area of adulthood to handle it all.

When I’m successful with mediation and prayer, and demonstrations occur, my faith will deepen immeasurably and my convictions to live this path may lead me to an area that I’m completely terrified to admit I might be talented with. I’m afraid to be that bright, worried I’ll leave some behind when I’d rather take everyone with me because every single consciousness occurring here has that beautiful wondrous potential—why  should I be special?  (ego doesn’t discern the difference between transformation and death, no?) but then why shouldn’t I?

If my husband and I are to cleave together we need continuous growth. Thus far we’ve been through fits and starts of spiritual growth, honing each other into better living—of course parenting is a major part of that growth, children really force us to examine ourselves.

So, I’ve been releasing distractions of all manner and size that have kept me from my perceived success and my material success.  Some are small mental blocks subtle broken records, others are real distractions I toss in the way to add a tinge of emergency to anything I’m working on.  Removing these, I’ve noticed a great success with my prioritizing and time management, I’ve gotten a lot done and been more present doing it.  I’ve felt greater compassion around not completing household work or slips in my parenting style, been much more present and understanding with my girls.  And I’m attempting to work with a friend to get a business plan together that I will pitch to a group deciding the fate of a nearby property.

And yet it is interesting that yesterday, attending church solo with two in tow (third was ill and at home with The Man) I was so high, and exuberant about life in all its glorious forms and relations.  I am here, I love being a momma, I am loving this adventure—why not? Any thought to the contrary is just silly static that has no place in my positive sphere.  There was not a thing that would deter me from that space, I love my life, it is so good.  And today happened, with glitter loosed and migrating unauthorized around the house, a non-napping baby, and a three year old thoroughly in tantrum mode, I slid sideways somewhat. However I witnessed, the whole debacle, and avoided calamity.  I felt the wave pass, lifted me, carried me a short way, instead of struggling I let it go, and had my feet on the sand again.

Today is a good day to begin again.

“To laugh often and much;to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.

This is to have succeeded.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Oh my heart aches, it cracks open, and open, and open.  It's joyous sorrow I feel, and it's slippery to contain.  I know I'm making inroads against unconscious behavior, it's just so difficult sometimes, this becoming.  I feel my organs rearranging, though there's resistance there's nothing to fight against, preparing for flight.

Monk-a-doodle has been experiencing illness past few days, still not quite back yet, and Baby R has just been so fussy today.  I've so much work to do and not enough time, and I keep bullishly stepping in my own way creating environmental stress where there needn't be, i.e. tiring myself with less sleep, not eating my best or at all, too much sugar, avoiding yoga and meditation, sitting in overwhelm instead of moving that small inch that's a cinch.

Watching snow fall, wishing I could go out in it and be completely alone for a undetermined time.

And I read this and this.  There's so much becoming all around when one looks for it, we're on an upswing I'm positive.

screaming

whining

pushing

crying

I love you sleeping

helping

playing

running

staying

i love you laughing

battling

grabbing

blaming

i love you sleeping

messing

eating

mixing

i love you laughing

caterwaul

lament and flail

i love you sleeping

thoughtful growing
learning Knowing

i love you laughing

wondrous comic tragedy

i love you sleeping

i love you laughing

It's a Day, or not even, it's only A Morning.

I'm feeling nervous about the decision to put The Second born into a 2-day all day program at the Waldorf Charter School.  Probably because today we had an epic morning.

It began with angry elder sister, pick-pick-picking on little sister, while I sang loudly my operatic "Be Kind or Be quiet!" aria.  Then about 4 minutes of timed bickering (probably longer, but once they heard the "$1 a minute!" jingle I improvised, it got quieter). I'm holding the $4 ($1 or 1 household contribution per minute bickering fee) until they get contributions done.

It's a fairly cold, snowy morning, diamond dust in the air, and champagne powder on my truck, so we're already late. But I'm surrendering to the flow of the morning, 'cause I don't wanna make the crazed rush only to be stuck in traffic.

Everyone fed, and getting ready to leave, the Middle One begins her lament about some random item that was or was not seen, or worn, or toted.  Shortly prior to this, she, in the same breath, shared about what she likes at school and then proceeded to whine "puwheease take me out of dis school, momma".

I kept breathing, kept moving forward. Of course, this new development of crazy from her little sister budged Miss Monkey to swing back into sweet-and-helpful mode.

The Second Born proceeds to scream in her trademark screech about how her legs are cold (she chose to wear a long skirt with long socks), but when offered her coat or pants, she screeches again in response.  Her tragedy is most definitely waking neighbors.

We've embarked the vehicle, finally, when I feel I simply cannot drive with her screeching behind me.  I pull over into the empty, snow covered, parking lot of the park directly across the street.  I remove her from the vehicle, lovingly, firmly inform her that I cannot drive safely with her screaming and caterwauling behind me, help her with her coat and hat, "Scream out here all you want. You are welcome back in my car when you're done making that noise."

I keep breathing and recall yesterday when it was time for baby to nurse and rest, I resorted to locking myself in our bedroom to avoid a more serious conflict with her.  It had been a busy morning, back from the gym she had launched, unprompted, into a caterwauling lament about how she wasn't tired and wasn't hungry.  There's a pattern here, and I'm the common thread. Remove myself and alter the pattern, though maybe not as compassionate as I intend (yet), it's all I can muster sometimes.

Back in the snow, 2 minutes or less outside, some impressive lungfuls of air from her, and she calms. Asking for a hug, I'm happy to comply, and then she's eventually back in her seat and we're on our way.

But that's not all...

upon arrival at school, there's more tragedy, most likely trickle down from dramas earlier in the morning. Then hugs, and I'm off, but only to contend with the baby boy hollering fiercely all the way home.

I'm off to crock something for dinner, fold masses of laundry, and maybe get a 1/2 hour or so to sit atop my bike-on-trainer and lift something other than baby weight.

Happy day!

workin' through stress

It's not you, it's me

Last night, beginning SOMAS 601 Class (again), I got the "Surrender" angel card.  But that was after I picked up both the "Joy" and "Intention" cards.

My little epiphany came with a wallop...I'm the common denominator here. It's not a child's fault they're acting out, it's always some new stress they're processing that comes out sideways. My reactions are my own. They, we all as babies, arrive here perfectly equipped to have a beautiful life, and then they encounter US.

At this moment there is a lot rumbling around inwardly. Guilt about all my lack of parenting skill, my perceived lack of love. Sadness that they didn't choose better people to be their parents.  Compassion for their little souls stuck with me, I who barely have any idea what I'm doing.  More sadness for all the other little souls in bodies possibly in situations that are much worse off than ours.

A reminder pops up, that every one of us, every single one, is exactly where they are supposed to be at any given moment.  Every single action, reaction, re-reaction, and consequence is exactly what it is supposed to be....because I know that no thing happens in this world (or any other) by mistake.  God doesn't make mistakes.  But we do.  My thought life has been fraught with self-loathing only a perfectionist would understand, and it runs so very deep.  It's hard to admit, but as I name the difficulties I have with my children, I'm thickening the idea into our shared experience.  I.e. discussing how 3 year olds are particularly difficult, only makes it more true.

Knowing that God doesn't make mistakes, does not make it any easier though, grasping at imagined perfection causes suffering.

Then there comes a feeling of calm and bliss, and sadness. I've poured myself into this job, I'm in the thick of raising these little people into reasonably functioning young adults...sometimes I've so much love I might burst or melt down molecular-ly.

As an exercise for class I'm suppose to awake with activation of I AM, but in the form of I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN, which is a semantic tool to activate memory from whence we all came. Because, in the Light of Creation there is no want, no lack, no ego suffering, there is only Love, Peace, Joy.

So, I wake this morning thoughtfully creating my "I Have Always Been..." statements.

I have always been Loving

I have always been Joyous

I have always been Peaceful

I have always been Compassionate

I have always been Empathetic---and I stopped.

Have I?

I'm reminded then of an article I read, the pediatrician that believes now that Cry It Out method damages parts of the brain that create connective empathy.

My mom would brag about how I was a Dr. Spock baby, and at the time it was the "go to" child care book, and he was a definite "cry it out" proponent.  I'm theorizing that my handicapped empathetic response (and sympathetic response) is result of "best practices" for 1977.

So, I experience empathy shortage. How to cultivate it? Rather how do I access that limitless compassion, hence empathy and sympathy, that comes from the wellspring of our innate divinity?

How indeed, because I am well aware, we are only able to accept love at our conceived level of self worth.  And truly I have not much compassion for my self, most notably when I make mistakes as a parent.  Not little every day, oops-I-packed-the-wrong-lunch mistakes, but relationship-altering, possibly-damaging-to-emerging-young-selves mistakes.

Down the rabbit hole, though the roots are thick and tangled, there is Truth hidden there. I will re-mind it.