Not crisis....opportunity

Kanji symbol for Crisis
www.japanese.about.com

Many who follow me here at Healing Morning are aware that I often am inspired by various quotes that I read.  Today's post is such a moment.  I read the following this morning:

In Japanese, the symbol for crisis is made up of two symbols, one means danger and the other one means opportunity. There is SUCH wisdom there. - Mastin Kipp, The Daily Love

I liked the thought so much that I shared the quote on my Facebook page.  I took care to say, along with the post, that I'm not in crisis, but that I did find this comment to be valuable. Life is so much about the manner of perspective.


Another homily is that with age comes wisdom.  I reflect quite a lot about those things I wish I had known in my younger years.  Of course, we are all meant to live our mistakes and learn from the living itself.  We become a sum of our experiences and it is to be hoped that we take conscious note of strong lessons, modify our behaviors and strive to become better versions of ourselves.


Change is a given on this Earth School.  We don't live in a static environment.  Earth itself is constantly changing, morphing, stretching and breathing.  Those endless life cycles exist on a moment by moment basis.  I can get myself into a spiral of existential thought very easily, pondering these concepts!


When we consider that we are never the same person on a moment by moment basis, if we truly wish it, we can change.  With every breath, we are given that opportunity.  


So, is crisis a bad thing?  It's certainly not fun to experience.  This quote above, however, is polarizing for me.  I focus conscious thought each day on how I reflect to the world around me.  I also put a lot of effort into NOT being a mindlessly, emotionally reactive person.  This is not to say I'm lacking in emotion...far from it!  I do choose to be mindful of my behavior.  I want to respond in a fashion that serves not only me, but others, and if I am constantly reacting from that mindless emotional state, then I am guilty of creating chaos.  I may be more sensitive to the energy of chaos than others, I may not be.  I just know that I don't enjoy the sensation of it.  Some do, and they thrive in that jangling, unsettled energy.  I prefer to find order and a sense of calm, and I do find it is possible to reach that state even in the midst of crisis.


The concept of the Japanese symbol for the word "crisis" providing a second option for opportunity resonates strongly for me.  From a common sense perspective, if something isn't working, we can either fight it and dig in to keep change from happening, or we can be open to change.  I will never lie and say that I am a fan of change!  Indeed, I spent a great deal of my younger years doing that digging in and being stubborn, clinging on to the familiar out of fear and resistance.  And I can honestly say that this is when the true definition of crisis would always rear its head.  Most likely, I caused myself much unnecessary trauma, pain and grief, but I had to live that level of discomfort repeatedly before I finally awakened to the thought that there might be another, better-feeling way.


These days, I look at things differently.  While I still don't enjoy change, or endings, I have a different perspective regarding both.  I am currently in yet another transition period.  Being a freelance writer means I exist in that state quite often, going from one contract to the next, sourcing new connections to always keep new opportunities in my personal pipeline.  Right now, I'm in the quiet stage where I tend to reflect and review what I've recently experienced.  This reflection allows me to decide how to focus my thoughts and energies for the future.  While being between paying jobs can present a huge opportunity for fear based thoughts and panic to set in, I choose to instill appreciation for what I now call a Resting Phase.  See how two simple words, and the emotions they convey, "fear/panic" change completely when replaced with "appreciation/resting"?  Even writing the comparison, I find my whole body and emotional state have an instantaneous response.  


So, here I am, in transition......and opportunity.  Rather than considering the end of a work contract as reason for panic and crisis, I've shifted my perception to view it as opportunity.  I'm taking time to appreciate my recent work experience so that I can extend that energy to God/Universe/Spirit and request more of the same, or better, energy to manifest.  This conscious choice that I make produces a happy feeling.  A warm glow of intent.  A sense of calm, that all is well in my personal world.

I find it delightful that God/Universe/Spirit chose to drop the quote from Mastin Kipp into my line of sight today.  It always makes me smile when I am given a nudge, a wink and a friendly reminder that yes, I'm doing okay.  I'm taking this resting phase to do some thinking, some organizing (that part isn't fun) and some dreaming.  I have some creative projects on the horizon that I'm excited to implement.  I don't know when or where or how my next work contract will manifest, but I am confident that it will.  Because of this, fear and crisis aren't words I embrace these days.  Opportunity.....now that's a word I do embrace!  Perspective, my friends.  Life is an endless opportunity for us to shift our perspective.