Living in California for most of my life has created a certain type of “certainty” for me.  It is certain that our summers will be hot,  it is certain that we’ll experience earthquakes, it is certain that our population will continue to increase at a phenomenal rate, and it is certain that we will experience times of drought or water rationing.  These things I know from experience.  So when a natural disaster strikes, how do we remain certain, calm, grateful?

With more than 1400 wildfires burning in different parts of the state, it’s become a new habit for me to tune into the news.  I had made a conscious decision to disengage from the news media a couple of years ago, and I found my life seemed more calm, I was less distracted, and I had a renewed sense of hope and gratitude.  But when you live, like I do, in an area that has been hit by rampant wildfires, you have to make exceptions.

Facing my Fear

Each day I’d learn what area was in danger, who would face evacuation.  It reminded me that I have so very much to be grateful for.  I have wonderful children, a supportive and kind family, good health, a career I truly enjoy, and many life experiences that have enriched my spirit.  I also “own” things.  I have things.  Things that could be lost to a fire.

So this past week has been a time for me to get my fear in check.  I once had a coach who would use the “what if” game with her clients.  The idea was this:  concentrate on your fear…what is it you are afraid of? What might happen? Now imagine that it did.  Your fear manifested into a situation or experience.  Now what?  What is the worst thing that will happen to you, as a result of this experience?

Using this exercise I began to think: What if my home has to be evacuated? What if I don’t collect all my things? What if I leave something behind that is important? And then it hit me.  This was an opportunity to feel immense gratitude.  Because the things that meant the very most to me, the ones that make my heart skip a beat…they aren’t things at all.  My home could burn, and all my “things” inside it.  I would be powerless to stop Mother Nature.  What if I lost everything?

This brought me peace.  I can rebuild a home.  I can buy more stuff.  Heck, I can even try to piece together replicas of what I “used” to have, if I so choose.  What I can’t replace is the love of my family, the love of my children, the many things I feel most grateful for.  No matter how fearful I felt at the idea of losing things - I was able to return to a calm place because I have the power to create or buy new things.  The things that matter most to me cannot be devastated by a wildfire or taken from me.

So you can be certain that life is uncertain.  You can move forward in fear for what might happen, or you can embrace that what makes you “YOU” and the experiences, feelings, and memories that you hold, they belong to you.  Feel gratitude for them, appreciate them, be thankful for them.  Those are the things that you can be certain of.

Tags:   appreciation · consciousness · Dr. Robert Anthony · focus · releasing fear · Rich Mind Life Strategy · thankful1 Comment