A number of years ago I remember coming across a Guru (sorry I don’t remember who). He was interviewing this poor woman. She had had a terrible time. Her life was just a catastrophe. And when it wasn’t it was just waiting to be a catastrophe!
I remember watching the two of them. She was crying her life was so terrible. She had been truly and deeply broken. He listened intently. You could see the compassion in him. You could see that she was really showing him how hard her life had been up to this point. Then she was finished.
“So what!”
You would have thought a wind storm had hit with the sound of the collective gasps!
Boy did we read him wrong! He’s an ass! People were in shock. But no one could speak. She looked at her compassionate listener and all the blood had drained from her face. The tears had stopped alright. But not because she was feeling better. If anything she was now in shock; yet another blow, another heart crushing moment.
He then said something like, “You’ve had a terrible time of it (Janet). Life has really been challenging for you. In fact I can honestly say you’ve really been through some real sh*!. So what!”
And there it was again!
“You’ve had a terrible past. It has been painful. But it’s in the past. You’ve now told your story with all it’s emotion and pain. Good! That’s it! It’s all yesterday’s news now! So what…now? Is your life terrible right here, right now? Haven’t you been enjoying this weekend? You’ve made new friends who’ve listened to your pain. So what do you plan to be now….tomorrow…next week…next year? Are you going to let all that crap dictate to you? Are you going to be a victim? You are a bright woman. You are beautiful, smart, educated. The past is behind you. It’s not beside you and you certainly don’t need it in front of you. Look in front of you. Do it now? What do you see?”
Blank face.
“Exactly….nothing. There is absolutely NO THING in front of you. The future is clear. So all that stuff you just told me is just ‘so what’. It means nothing unless you allow it to; allow it to control you and your destiny. So what? What do you want to be? What do you want to see? What are you capable of? So what?”
I got it! In that moment many of us got it! Sometimes life is challenging. Sometimes life is painful. Sometimes it’s downright sh*!!y! SO WHAT!? What now? What can I do with now, tomorrow, next week? And why on earth would I want to drag all of that stuff with me?
Yes the mind is a wonderful thing. It truly is (except when I can’t find my reading glasses or keys). It is the most magnificent computer ever created. But yet, sometimes the mind is downright stupid! We go through pain and then instead of letting it go (and I know we sometimes need time to deal with pain, it’s called grieving…not wallowing though) the mind keeps it right there in front of us. Aghhhh!
A few days ago I was out with Gracie the wonder wiener dog. She is not always the most social of butterflies. In fact she can be downright aggressive. I hope that one day I’ll figure it out of her. Maybe not. So what, right! Well, anyhow, I was out with her and she had one of her spaz attacks and went ballistic at a person across the street. I hollered and she settled back to ‘normal’ (whatever that is). Then she did something. She shook herself. She shook off the aggression. The hair on her back went flat again and she went on sniffing for whatever dogs sniff for. It was over; done…finished!
MY TRUTH: Spirit make me an instrument of your LOVE. When I have been hurt. When I have been really hurt. When I have been devastated…help me to get to that point of saying “So what!” and move on, shake it off…love again. It doesn’t have to be a lover. It may be a workmate or a friend or a family member. Take my broken heart and make me something better.
Broken Yet Believing
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