Life’s washing machine
When you open the lid of the washing machine during the agitation cycle, you find gray, smelly water full of the dirt and residue from the clothes you are washing.
If you didn’t understand the process, you’d think something had gone terribly wrong since the process is supposed to clean the clothes, and now they appear worse.
But if you know the agitation process is part of the bigger picture, you can relax and know that everything is working out as it should.
Likewise, when people or events show up that agitate you, you can reframe the situation so that the grimy stuff has been drawn to the surface solely for the purpose of purging what has been undermining you. And the entire process will ultimately improve your situation.
Right now, we can imagine opening our washing machine mid-wash. Yikes! Everything is dirtier! And…that’s exactly how it’s supposed to be. Give it another cycle and voila! Clean clothes.
Practically speaking: Are YOU feeling a little grimy lately?
Will you reframe it a bit to see that you’re just midway through the process of getting all spiffy and shiny?
Perhaps we can remember Rumi’s wisdom (and polishing metaphor) that, if we are irritated by every rub, we’ll never be polished.
Pardon me while I close the lid on my washing machine so it can continue to its next cycle, that of…
P.S. Perhaps the current situation is just an agitation cycle for us to accept as we move through it to come out on the other side?
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Actually, I am feeling a little agitated at the people who are burying their heads in the sand. But then I am reminded that most people are doing the right thing like social distancing, etc. It is those people who will get us (humans) to the 100th monkey point. Space is limited here to explain so you will have to look it up. Otherwise, I am feeling a little more peaceful every day. I think I am doing a lot of work when I sleep. Because I am old and have a heart condition, my help is limited to prayer and meditation and sometimes I feel like I’m not doing enough. Then I remind myself how powerful prayer is simply because we are all united and what I do and think affects all of humanity. I’m reminded of Jung’s collective unconscious and of John Donne’s poem: “For Whom The Bell Tolls”. Oh yes, once in awhile, I have to have a good cry. It’s good to have this venue to feel connected to others, most of whom I don’t know. When this passes, we won’t go back to normal, we will be better people, the earth and all of creation will heal and love will erase all the fear.