Gazing in the Mirror

October 17 - Expectancy

Be still, sad heart ! and cease
repining; Behind the clouds is
the sun still shining; Thy fate
is the common fate of all, Into
each life some rain must fall,
Some days must be dark and
dreary.
~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

A state of expectancy is a great
asset; a state of uncertainty –
one moment thinking 'perhaps' –
and the next moment thinking
'I don't know' – will never get
desired results.
~ Ernest Holmes

What do you expect to happen today ? This day my family had some seasonal outdoor activities planned – going to the pumpkin patch farm which is always arrayed in a multitude of festive Halloween decorations – and then later to experience some kind of "haunted" amusement park entertainment. All of the fun stuff coming after some routine dental check-ups and cleanings plus a bit of grocery shopping as well. That morning the weather forecast was weighing heavily on my mind because the prediction was for thunderstorms. I definitely dislike loading groceries in the rain and I don't relish wandering about in the mud at the pumpkin farm or being drenched at the outdoor amusement park.

I woke up that morning reminding myself that whatever the chance of thunderstorms, I could still take some comfort that the indications were not for continuous rainfall. "Into every life a little rain must fall", Longfellow said. When my husband was a child his father was quite adverse to rain and his mother would interpret that to her sons as wimping out. Therefore my husband has a bit of an odd and somewhat difficult perspective on that reality of life. Regardless of gender one is to do the manly thing and buck up under it without fussing or complaining.

I remember one day when our family had gone to the zoo and as we were preparing to leave a downpour came. I had plans to go to the grocery store afterwards (and we were not close to home but actually 2 hours away). I wanted him to do the gallant thing and go and get the car to pick me and the kids up at a nice, dry building. He was not at all agreeable but insisted that we all go out to the car together in the rain. We didn't have umbrellas with us. I got soaked and a little while later was squishing my way through the grocery store and not in a happy mood either. Such is life but I can't seem to just forget it even if I realize that such gender-based expectations are not fair either.

Metaphysics teaches us whatever thoughts we are having today have a definite tendency to create the forms of our future reality. So even though we had a 90% chance for thunderstorms that day and a 70% chance that night, I decided to focus my thoughts on the words "occasional" in that forecast. This was challenging because within the main forecast was included rather specific details that these storms were expected to occur between 1pm and 10pm and that was of course our prime time for being "outdoors". I consciously was contemplating how I could prepare myself mentally to still make the most of the day and not rain on my little family's parade with a surly attitude. My message from The Universe that day coincidentally said – "There are only 3 things that can make your dreams come true: your thoughts, your words and your actions" Thus I was reminded that these three were all the tools I needed to meet the challenges of my day.

Ernest Holmes suggests to me that "This is done by reminding our imagination that the field with which it deals is Limitless, that Mind is the Creator and the Sustainer, that Mind is Infinite, ever available, and always responsive to us". So I knew that I could begin with this reminder. I could consciously begin with my thoughts and prepare myself mentally for whatever I might have to tolerate and cope with. At the same time, I could also choose to remain receptive and open to the possibility that until any of this actually happened I really didn't know what the day was going to be like. I could decide that I would be a good sport and use my words in positive ways and not grumble regardless of how things turned out. I also made certain that I had umbrellas with us and available for use !!

Holmes also reminded me that morning that – "There should never be any sense of finality in our self-discovery. No matter how much good we experience today," (and I made the choice to leave the house that morning anticipating in the same manner as my children were at bedtime the night before that the day was going to hold a lot of uncommon and "new" kinds of fun for us). Holmes goes on to say "Expectancy always speeds progress, anticipation of better yet to come helps to dissolve the overload of burdens which we now carry with us. ... Nothing is too good to be true." I decided to anticipate that the day would be fun and in surprising and satisfying ways for each and every one of us.

~ perspective

I know that a good time is mine
for the making and I expect good
and more good to come.
There is no limit to the ways that
this good can prove itself to me.
I happily expect delightful memories
of good times to end this day for me.
Everywhere I go today I expect to
see good reflected back to me and
I will choose to appreciate that good
when I see it.
I attract to myself this day a good reality –
it flows through me, expresses itself as me
and multiplies itself around me.

#attitude #challenges #discovery #family #fun #Halloween #perspective #probability #pumpkins #rain