As I lifted the lid off my compost container, my nose was assaulted by the acrid aroma of rotting food. “ Argh! ” I recoiled, “That really stinks! ” Then an inner voice reminded me, “It’s supposed to stink. ” Of course it is. If rotten food wasn’t repulsive, we might eat it and get sick. The obnoxious smell is nature’s way of keeping us away from what would hurt us.
In life, too, nature tries to repulse us from what would hurt us. Whenever we experience pain, conflict, antagonism, or frustration, the universe is, in effect, sending us the message, 'This is not the way you are supposed to be doing it. Try another way “
Stubborn as we humans can be, we sometimes put up with rotten smells for a long time for all the wrong reasons. Many of us tolerate dysfunctional relationships, addictive behaviors, abusive business situations, and noxious health conditions that undermine us every time we participate in them. We convince ourselves that it is noble to put up with pain, or “one day he will change, ” or “next week I will talk to my boss.” Meanwhile, we deny the message the universe is trying to communicate: Do it differently so you can be happy and healthy.
If a rat learns to maneuver through a maze to get to some cheese, and then the cheese is taken away, the rat will go through the maze a few more times, but soon it realizes that there is no further reward in the journey. Unlike the rat, we may go down a dead-end maze many times, still hoping that somehow the cheese will be there. The real cheese lies in honoring ourselves to live in the light. We must tell the truth about our pain so we can extricate ourselves from it. There is a better way. Love yourself enough to claim it.
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