The other day I had an experience that might be considered negative. You see, the other day I stepped in shit. Literally. This reminded of a time in my life that I had forgotten about where I was traveling through Europe as a young adult and this kept happening to me. During those times, I wasn’t aware of the patterns it may have been trying to show me or the gifts it had for me.
This time, though, was different.
We were coming home from dinner, and first and foremost, I had gotten the hit we should go the other way to get to the car. I didn’t listen to my inner knowing, though, and so off we went.
I believe I stepped in it when we were fairly close to the car, and on our way home, I started to smell something, but didn’t notice what had happened until I was getting out of the car. (Funny side note: I was thinking the smell was coming from my friend. :))
And, while yes, this was slightly annoying, I also realized what a different and opening experience it was compared to my previous experiences.
As opposed to when I had been in Europe, this time I felt supported. When my friend saw it, he immediately started helping me, grabbing my stuff and getting what I needed to clean my shoes. He even took over and gently and lovingly teasing me about my OCD requests, all with compassion and understanding.
By the end of the experience we were laughing and having a great time, having built an experience that brought us closer based on a shared experience, even coupled with many great one liners including, “Shit happens.” (I wish I could remember them all!)
And, I share this story, as I often do :), for awareness and teaching.
That being said, if this happened to you, how would you have allowed it to impact your night? Would you have gotten mad or frustrated or would you have added an element of play to it too? With this, how long would you have allowed it to impact you?
One of the things that was so beautiful about this moment, too, was that my friend and I had what a couple of my former teachers would call a Level Three moment. I wish I could remember the other levels, though I believe Level One is showing up in victim/not taking responsibility and Level Two might be getting angry. A Level Three moment can be really powerful, though, as it’s responding from a high state of awakening. Level Three moments open what could be a challenging or frustrating experience. When we are in Level Three, we’re laughing at some thing that could have the potential to challenge, frustrate or piss us off. We’re in a state of joy, which is ALWAYS the truth of who we are. With this, when we can see the humor, while it can be annoying in the moment, these moments tend to be moments we look back on with light and joy. Important to note: Own where you are first. This isn’t about overriding an experience with joy or humor, if what you’re really feeling is pissed off. Instead, feel that first, and then you may (and it’s okay, if you don’t) feel lighter and start to find the humor/joy in it.
So, this leads me to the third piece of this, which if you saw my new Clearing Series email or have been in one of my workshops, you may have heard me ask this question to help identify the patterns that may be present, especially when something “negative” occurs. This question, and really questions, are:
Why did I create this and what is there here to show me that lives within me?
In this situation, at dinner, there was a minor frustration energy that was building up because of a couple of (small) things that had happened throughout the course of our meal. Of course, I didn’t have an opportunity to clear this energy when we were at dinner, so as I stepped out into the night, so-to-speak, I created my next experience from this energy. (Yes, we are always creating our experiences which is why it’s so important to notice the energy (feeling) you’re in and shift it if it’s not what you’re wanting to create.)
And, with this coming up, I also realized it would be good to clear the original experience where this happened, so I don’t continue to create this, and really, stay in the awareness (fear) of not stepping in shit again. It sounds funny :), but as you can see, I’m very committed to clearing, of course because of the impact this has had on my life, and also, with this, to create more Level Three moments!
With that, I want to leave you with one final thought. Every single moment can be a spiritual experience. Yes – every single moment. Don’t miss out on the magic (and memories!) these moments can hold.
To more Level Three moments!
Deb