Instead of hate….. just meditate! May your actions speak louder than your t-shirt !

Hi everyone and welcome back again,

I recently had the pleasure of spending a few weeks in Sedona, Arizona , USA which has become one of my favourite places for soul searching, evolving and just being.

On previous occasions I have only experienced ” Peace, Love, Tranquility and all things seemingly Sedona”  - but on this recent trip I seemed to be confronted by the underbelly of the place and who it attracts there and what I saw was a real lesson indeed.

People behaving in ways that did not at all match the philosophy they were displaying outwardly in their business endeavours, holiday activities, spiritual seeking or private lives.

It was actually quite confronting at times, as I wondered if I was attracting all these bizarre situations and people to me for a reason…..

It was relentless….

And then I got the reason!

The Universe was quite simply giving me a good lesson in ” practice what you preach” and ” walking the talk”! And perhaps this lesson is one that I am meant to share here too, for the benefit of all.

I like to think that generally my actions are congruous with my life philosophy, my values and my personal set of principals. But this recent trip made me stop and really think about it and I think that maybe we can all ” hit the pause button” and give it some thought too.

There are so many people – courtesy of the ” New Age Movement” skipping about the place with t-shirts professing peace, love and kindness to all things or attending meditation classes & yoga, or attending countless courses on ” taking responsibility for ones own life” etc etc – and yet they seem to have made no connection at all when it comes to implementing these philosophies in any way into their real lives.

They are proud t-shirt wearers and slogan carriers – but that is where it seems to end.

It is the same as people who write all manner of things all over Facebook or on other social media about this and that – but again – are not actively doing anything to further that cause or lifestyle etc etc

I really had my eyes opened to this in Sedona, with the most mind blowing example being a lady I met at a bar one evening.

I had decided to have a quick margarita before heading elsewhere and sat down at the bar for one quiet drink. A lady came in and sat down beside me. She was wearing a t-shirt that said ” Instead of Hate – Just Meditate ” and had those lovely ” Tree Of Life ” earrings dangling from her ears. I was of course expecting a conversation about life and love and the glories of Sedona.

But the conversation went quite differently to what I had expected……

Me                    ” So – what are visiting Sedona for? It’s just beautiful isn’t it?” 

Lady X             ” Oh – I am on a yoga retreat with friends………. [ brief pause as tears well in her eyes ] –  but I could just burst into tears because my ex husband [ expletives galore ] has done this , this and this and now my children hate me because of that [expletive ]. Well [ expletive ] him.  Her can go [ expletive himself]. And now I am on medication etc etc etc. Rant Rant Rant!”

To say I was slightly taken aback would be an understatement.

She didn’t take a breath for quite a while and managed to tell me in 20 – 30 mins that:

1. Her ex husband was an [ expletive ] – she told me that numerous times
2. Her children hated her
3. She was nearly arrested after her flight for abusing the stewardess, who refused to give her alcohol  [after she had requested water to take her medication moments earlier? ] Police were called to the gate when they landed where she insisted on speaking with the pilot himself?
4. Her boyfriend didn’t want her to visit him – but [expletive ] him – she was going anyway – she needed the mountains
5. She met a new man while looking at the mountains anyways and he was really wealthy – then she showed me his picture on her i-phone whilst asking me pointedly and repeatedly in quite an aggressive manner ” do you think he’s cute, do you think he’s cute?”
6. She nearly got thrown out of a restaurant the other day [ can't remember what for ]
7. Would I like a copy of one of her memes – it read – [Expletive ] the sunset & yoga, have a drink instead [or some thing like that ] with a picture of a beautiful sunset and a lady doing yoga in the background. Needless to say I declined that offer.

Whew – I needed that margarita ha ha ha ha aha ha!

Finally I said to this lady: ” If you don’t mind me saying – it might really help you to let go of some of this bitterness and hostility. All this anger can not be good for you” .

To which she responded: ” Oh my God – yes – you are soooooo right. I needed to hear that. I need  to do that. But these [ expletive ] friends of mine and this ex husband……….”

And on and on it went. I had to laugh.

I was so pleased to have somewhere to go to be honest and I hot-tailed it out of there as quickly as my little legs would carry me.

My lesson was well and truly etched in my mind.

And the lesson is: It is no good wearing the t-shirt if your actions do not fit the slogan.

And I guess that small anecdote can be a small lesson and reminder to all of us from time to time.

In fairness – as I always say – we are all just doing the best we can -and I am sure this lady was just getting by the best she knows how. And I wish her nothing but peace, joy and light. But I truly had to laugh at the absurd nature of her behaving and speaking the way she did, in that particular shirt while attending a yoga retreat!

But it focused my mind on living my talk and not just wearing the t-shirt.

So I invite you to examine your own life and ask that same question:

 ” Am I Walking my Talk?”

And if not –  I guess you just need to decide if you want to change the talk or modify the walk?

For one thing is for sure – you can never find true happiness or contentment until one is truly reflective of the other.

And on that note – I shall leave you to ponder.

#Discover You #Love You #Be You

Christine