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March 5, 2013

Caught in the Act: Girl, Interrupted. ~ Prairie Pritchett

Source: via Gina on Pinterest

I was caught in the act yesterday—no, not that act!

I was on a walk with a girlfriend. We were in what I thought was a break of silence between conversations—that is, until she asked me, “Where are you right now?”

I took a confused, yet necessary pause in my stride and immediately realized she wasn’t asking me where I physically was, she was curious as to where my mind was. When I brought my awareness to my thoughts, what I discovered did not thrill me.

In that potent moment, she interrupted a rather fear-inducing, negative dialogue I was having inside my own mind.

After sharing with her the truth of the dialogue I had running, my wise, sage-like friend said, “Knock that shit off!”

She then immediately topped off that order with the simple and revealing question,

“Don’t you know how amazing you really are?”

That blunt order, followed by an unexpected question was exactly what I needed to lure myself out of the sometimes dismal, overpowering, provocative and addictive realm of runaway thoughts and my inner voice gone awry.

Thoughts, whether we are conscious of them or not, are always rambling on in the sphere of our mind.

Practices, such as vipassana (mindfulness) and transcendental (use of a mantra) meditation are, with dedication to the disciplines, supportive in creating a more peaceful inner terrain.

I am a sincere advocate for every person on the planet building a meditation practice into our lives. And what I learned from being caught in the act of allowing my rambling, fearful thoughts to have their way with me is that there is also a time and place for interrupting, however bluntly, the same thoughts that sap our inspiration and hold us hostage in excuses and inaction.

http://pinterest.com/tamlov/for-my-country-mama/

As liberating as meditation is, it is equally vital to practice the art of calling our own bluff in the moment when we become aware of the bullshit that’s running amuck in our minds.

I do believe the proclivity to this type of awareness grows with a meditation practice.

However, whether we meditate or not our small, fear-inducing, über-relentless egos need to simply be intersected—caught off guard by the strength of our determination to think, speak and believe better of ourselves.

When we catch ourselves in the notorious act, we endeavor to bring attention to where our pesky thoughts are and then declare,

“Oh no you don’t! Today I am amazing; today I am spending energy in the direction of my dreams…today I am allowing my intuition to guide me; today I can change and grow and shift in inspiring ways; today is my day and I am going to express beauty, joy and courage.”

After we’ve shared some much needed self-love and encouragement, nothing supports commitment and motivation quite like a good dose of healthy reward.

I personally like to give myself a running high-five. It looks a little strange, but guess what? I’m amazing, so who cares?

A hug, a pat on the back, a smile at your beautiful/handsome face in the mirror, a chocolate croissant from the local patisserie, a generous, unexpected sleep-in on a Wednesday morning, going on a Sunday adventure and leaving your cellphone at home—whatever it is that feels like a gift to ourselves, may we give it freely in acknowledgement of changing an old, worn out, self-defeating pattern.

After all, we are most worthy of our own love, caring, attention and praise.

I sign off with this little reminder:

You contain within you all the goodness, beauty, wonder and potential of this magnificent planet. The loveliness of your being reaches far beyond the limits of what your mind can grasp. You are here to remember and to share your very best self and the uniqueness that is only you with the world. You are a curious, creative, insightful and intuitive being capable of transforming your life into the serendipitous splendor of pure love, rapturous joy and astonishing grace.

When I look at you I see only perfection—what you call faults, I call opportunities; what you call problems, I call potential; what you call weaknesses, I call strength through the opening of vulnerability. Accept and express who you truly are. Love and nurture that being within you. You matter to this great adventure called life. And remember…

 

 

Prairie Pritchett has been on a solo journey of discovering her voice for a long time. She just recently mustered up the courage to start sharing that voice with others, with you. Striving to live a full, ecstatic, uncommon and adventurous life, Prairie, a native Los Angelino, recently relocated to the bottom edge of the world—the South Island of New Zealand. Admitting that she misses the comfort and joy that comes from the closeness of friends and family, she also declares that for love we tend set off on wild, wonderful adventures. She ends the day with a simple and heart-felt, thank you. You can read more of Prairie’s writings at here and here—two blogs she has resolved to pay more attention to in the new year. She will also have her website up and running soon.

 

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Asst Ed: Terri Tremblett/Ed: Bryonie Wise

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