There you are

Published by Gena on October 24, 2019October 24, 2019

Another book title that says it all…wherever you go there you are!

No matter where we go we cannot escape ourselves. It’s a tough truth to swallow but within this realisation is an invitation – an opportunity to practice awareness and acceptance; to mindfully see ‘what is’ and to let go of resistance and the suffering it arouses.

I recently experienced this on our trip to Canada. It didn’t matter that we were thousands of miles from home in a mind-blowing awe-inspiring scenic wonderland – there I was with all my self-defeating habits and negative beliefs; my rigid ways of being and doing that stop me from enjoying life as it is, sabotaging the satisfaction that only a long-awaited holiday can bring.

Everyday I was tested – to be with exactly what I was feeling, thinking, experiencing, right then in the moment no matter how raw or unsavoury it was. Because even though we’re on holiday, we never actually get to take a holiday from ourselves! And there are always plenty of triggers to test where we’re at on the acceptance scale – flight delays, rain when we want sun, rough seas when we want smooth, jet lag, unexpected cancellations, dodgy hotel rooms, internet issues, head colds and runny noses, blistered heels…all challenging us to be mindful and accepting no matter where or what.

Some days I had more wins than others, but what I know is rather than getting lost in the past or fixated on the future where we hope to be ‘in a better place”, we are given countless opportunities to be right where we are, with ourselves as we are, consciously aware of what we are experiencing because only then, when we are awake to ‘what is’ do we have the opportunity to live the next moment differently.