The power of positive thinking is undeniable. But what do you do when you just can’t think a happier thought, or if the happier thought doesn’t do anything to make you feel better?
The purpose of the Happy Calories Don’t Count blog is to illustrate how the Happy Calories Don’t Count principles of Alignment are practiced in day-to-day life. Oftentimes, these postings are simply observations about the cultural views of diet, exercise and weight and how these views can be transformed through the lens of Alignment. But the greatest gift I can give is to demonstrate how I personally use these principles in my own life to deal with my own personal challenges. And if you’ve read the past couple of posts, you know that my big challenge right now is the health of my beloved cat.
When my sweet kitty first became ill I didn’t know what to do. Her illness was creating a loss of appetite and thirst, but her not eating and not drinking were making the illness worse. We’d taken her to several veterinarians over the last couple of months and they all said the same thing – see what we could do to get her to eat. They suggested enticing her with foods of different textures and different smells. They even acknowledged – as we so frustratingly discovered – that the food she might eventually eat one day, would probably not work the next.
I watched in a panic as she continued to wither away. I felt powerless. I didn’t know what to do. I was so distraught over the thought of losing her that I couldn’t even be present for her. I couldn’t find peace, let alone a “happy thought”. Trying to acknowledge the reality that her life span isn’t supposed to be as long as mine, and to think of the good times and of all the love we shared and of the blessing she is to me didn’t do a darn thing for my state of being. I couldn’t bear the thought of the illness taking her when all she needed to do to fight the illness was eat. What could I do?
And that’s when it hit me. I was focusing on the “I” and I was focusing on the “do”. To ask, “What can I do?” or “What can I do?” creates a sense of powerlessness and victimization. And although I am powerless in the sense that I cannot control the outcome – if my kitty chooses to get her angel wings there’s really nothing I can do about it. But I am notpowerless over my thoughts or my actions. And if addressing my thoughts wasn’t helping the situation, I needed to address my actions and ask “What can I do?” – with the accent on the can.
What can I do? What is the Conscious Action I can take Now? Well by golly, if the biggest problem is that she’s not eating enough on her own to fight the illness and survive, I can do something about that. I can mush up some canned cat food into a creamy paste. I can gently open her mouth and rub a fingertip amount of food on its roof. I can do this 17 times. I can do this every two hours.
Now here’s the interesting and amazing thing. Once I started taking Conscious Action, I started to feel better! Suddenly all the panic and terror I had been feeling vanished because I was finally doing everything in my power that I can possibly do to help her. And with all that crazy emotional energy cleared, my channel became a clutter-free, open and powerful conduit for Love. I can now sit with her. I can now be present for her. Our feeding times are now a sacred experience. And now I can think the happy thoughts. I can remember the good times and feel gratitude for all the love we shared. I can recognize that if she does choose to get her angel wings it is only the furry flesh that is gone. She will always be with me in Spirit – she is part of me.
So whether the pain you’re experiencing is about a pet or career or family or your body or whatever – sometimes you simply can’t think your way into Alignment. When this is the case, ask yourself “What can I do?” Listen for the inspiration and then take the Conscious Action Now. Conscious Action Now will help you find your way.