Break Through Your Threshold: Practice the Art of Surrender
By Jai Maa
For months I envisioned flying in a hot air balloon in the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta to celebrate my third national book tour. The day of the festival, I found myself sitting on the lawn watching the balloons leave for the sky without me while I cried on the phone to my sister about my cat that was taken by coyotes days before.
I then dashed to Kansas to fly to Atlanta for a wedding, only to miss my flight and be standing in line with a dozen hostile passengers who also missed theirs. My brain felt like a mushy mess from grief, lack of sleep, and feeling energetically bulldozed by the aggression around me. The next available flight wasn’t for another two days, and I would miss the wedding. Nothing was going my way.
When I knew I would not be getting on my flight, I had a choice to surrender and maintain my peace, or resist and suffer with the rest of the passengers. I witnessed in bewilderment as those enraged spat profanity at the airline and TSA staff, while some left their baggage and walked away pouting, only to have security called. What a drama!
Once outside and away from the cacophony of swirling anger, I was able to ground myself and think again. Within minutes, I found another way to Atlanta and was joyfully off to dinner with a friend.
What is it about missing a flight that causes people to lose their cool? Does any stressful experience ever have the power to crush one’s existence? Of course not.
The next morning, my friend Sarah picked me up from the Atlanta airport, and we headed off to the wedding. The beautiful bride, my friend Bhakti, was also dealing with reality not going exactly her way, yet she remained poised and flowed elegantly with the abrupt changes. Because of Hurricane Mathew, the flights of the minister and bridal blessing facilitator had been cancelled.
Bhakti asked if I would facilitate her bridal blessing, which I was honored to do. None of the guests ever knew anything was “wrong” because the reality of what was happening was never “made wrong.” Both the appearance and mood of the wedding kept its integrity of grace because of Bhakti’s demonstration of surrender. Shift happens.
Resisting reality is the root of suffering. We cannot stop reality from throwing curve balls, but we can decide to not throw tantrums in airports or behave like Bridezilla.
We are in a time of tremendous change. The election has happened, and whether or not the one you voted for became president, you always have the power to invoke harmony or discord on our planet. Deep down at everyone’s core, we all want to feel peace. We all want to feel safe. We all want to feel valuable, accepted, and loved. Practice and master the Art of Surrender at each turn of events, and you alone will change our world.
Enlightenment Challenge: Where are you resisting reality and making yourself and others unnecessarily miserable? Are you willing to take back your power and peace of mind? If so, affirm: “I now accept the reality of ______. I joyfully release this drama and reclaim my peace.”
Magically,
Jai Maa
Contact Jai Maa at BreakThroughYourThreshold.