[blockquote source=”Pema Chödrön, When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times “]“Rather than letting our negativity get the better of us, we could acknowledge that right now we feel like a piece of shit and not be squeamish about taking a good look.”  [/blockquote]

I was distracted recently over a rather silly matter.

My heart which had been basking in the warmth of ‘compassionate mind’ – was unexpectedly tossed from it’s rightful resting pillow.

A dear friend had mentioned something quite innocently in passing, and I…triggered by the memory of a much deeper wound, latched on like a foolish old dog to a bone.

And though, I knew immediately what was happening – I still couldn’t escape the emotion to follow.

I was stuck in the muck of a lingering spot – aware, but nonetheless ‘hooked.’

I apologized immediately, of course – and explained, that my tears were simply part of another matter.

It should have ended there, but over the next several days, I really struggled with a residual energy. I was restless, impatient, and my tolerance, worn. And, with each passing moment, I felt my world narrowing.

I was trapped by something I could neither see, nor yet fully understand. But, I knew enough to stay. To be unafraid of what this new light might reveal.

How many times has this happened to you, my dears? Something is said in passing, a nasty email is received. We feel attacked, threatened, angry…bitter. And, we let in linger.

We tell stories to our friends and mates, attaching further energy to our pain.

All the while, we can feel it festering – poisoning the normally still waters of our being.

This is your ‘edge’, my dears. And, your triggering is an invitation to look a little deeper still.

“Most of us do not take these situations as teachings. We automatically hate them. We run like crazy. We use all kinds of ways to escape — all addictions stem from this moment when we meet our edge and we just can’t stand it. We feel we have to soften it, pad it with something, and we become addicted to whatever it is that seems to ease the pain.” – Pema Chödrön

We’ve all longed for this moment, my dears – in which, we are offered this precious gift of awakening. And yet, we fight it with all and everything we’ve got…while one hand slips, the other grips.

We think it’s the fall we fear – when in reality, what we fear is an honest self reflection.

And, this lingering, my dears? Is simply a reminder…a reminder to pay attention to all those lessons which have not yet been learned.