Changing the Path

16 May Changing the Path

This morning my wife and I were talking about how people have a tendency to go down the same paths and repeat the same patterns even though we know what a mistake it can be. The unknown can often feel dangerous even though it also contains the possibility of freedom.

As we talked I asked her to picture a crossroads. As we both did, I asked her to image what it looked like to continue up the same path and what it looked like to the left or right. The path in front looked somewhat sunny and safe, familiar. The paths to the left and right were shrouded in darkness. They represented the unknown. While moving forward might seem safe, it is filled with the pitfalls of our past learned behaviors and automatic responses. Going in a new direction in a mindful manner offers the opportunity for change.

I asked her to think about all of the negative emotions, and painful traumatic stories we store in our hearts. I then asked her to imagine that I planted a seed of trust and acceptance in her heart. Walking down the path of acceptance and change allows us to water that seed. it takes attention and focus, but we can re-train our brains and our hearts to let go of those negative patterns that keep us trapped.

After we talked I sat down and filmed the pathway to our front door. I tried to capture some of what we talked about in a 10 minute meditation.

pain meditation from rumur on Vimeo.