We had a discussion at my house today. Several things had happened that I felt annoyed about. My spouse of 28 years thought I was annoyed with her so I made it clear I wasn't.
But then I said, "Look, I am not a saint and sometimes things happen that annoy me and I need to let myself feel annoyed." She responded, "As long as you aren't annoyed with me." To which I said, "We'll make a deal - if I am annoyed with you, I'll let you know and we'll deal with it. Otherwise, just let me be annoyed!"
I know I have written here before about the importance of letting ourselves be real and feel what we feel without being trapped. What I have learned is feelings are temporary and the sooner we acknowledge them, the sooner they pass through our system. It's when we don't allow them to float up and out that we are in bondage to them. This is true of positive and negative feelings.
Let's talk briefly about being annoyed. Sometimes, I get annoyed when things don't go my way. Sound familiar? My goal, which I sometimes meet, is to be able to experience all life has to offer with equanimity. No matter if things are going my way or not, can I stay in my center and simply let things be what they are without labeling them good or bad? And oddly enough, I have found this includes feelings I may or may not like!
Can I stay in my center and let the feelings pass through without the need to capture and feed them? Feelings are very much like stray cats: feed them and they keep coming back. Simply acknowledging they are there without feeding them allows them to go back into the woods and catch some mice for dinner.
I am no longer annoyed at the various situations that aren't going my way today. I'll deal with them as I always do and enjoy living from my center. What about you? Is there some feeling you're feeding instead of letting it go? Do you want to let it go? Great - all you have to do is say it is so and it is!
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