I can’t believe another week has already flown by!  Phew time definitely flies she says as she feels another birthday creeping up from behind.  How the hell did that happen? Speaking of time flying, today’s chat has been floating in my head since last weekend’s move extravaganza.  I recently itching to watch the movie Groundhog Day as it reminded me of our reality here in New England.  For those of you not from Boston, the above clip is kinda like what winter felt like here.  The snow, much like Ned, just kept coming reappearing.  It was last seen again last night. Whatever…you are so last season snow.  Go ahead try, you won’t last, we ALL know that.  Ok, so enough about the snow.  Back to the topic of our chat….Groundhog Day and the deeper meaning that it brought to the surface.  Bill Murray’s character, Phil, who by the way is a weatherman, goes to Punxsutawney to meet the groundhog and get the prediction for spring’s arrival.  Throughout the movie, you see that oddly enough Phil is caught in the same day repeating over and over again as if it never happened the day before.  Phil, the weatherman, was a bit of a crumugen and his co-workers really don’t like him all that much.  He is a person who is tolerated at best and an annoyance at worst. Through the movie Phil begins to develop a crush on one of his co-workers who is on the shoot with him.  The part of the movie that struck me so much comes at the end; of course.  Things shift for Phil when he stops being such a jerk and starts to become more humane and neighborly towards the townspeople of Punxsutawney.  This is a fact that was lost on me when I saw this movie in the past.  But last week I was like….huh…ain’t that special? ( Little ole’ school SNL for you:)  So Phil…a guy that for intents
and purposes acts a bit like an ass to most people begins to receive the gift of not only having a brand new day but winning the girl, once he opens up to realizing he is not the only person around.  There is much insight in this story line.

When we are caught in a Groundhog Day period in our lives it is most often due to our perspective on life.  We are stuck in our old negative tapes that are playing over and over again.  We get frustrated that every day and every experience seems to be the same yet this could be due to the fact that the lens we are looking through is dirty.  You know, like when your glasses really need to be cleaned but you are feeling in too much of a rush to clean them?  Ya just like that.  But once you take the time to clean them things seem a lot clearer.   When we are stuck in our old ways of thinking and seeing we believe that our version of the truth IS THE TRUTH. What we are easily forgetting is that it is only one version.  The other versions are available for you to see but again your glasses are too dirty to find them.  It’s kind of like that old phrase “you can’t see the forest through the trees.”  Unless you step back, you are unable to see the larger picture.  Your vision has become narrowed as if you were walking through an old dusty cave in some Mayan ruins.  You are caught and trapped amongst the musty dank smell and having trouble seeing more than a step in front of you.  When you begin to broaden your vision you typically begin to realize that the catastrophic events that your mind created were actually a Hollywood film staring you as the lead.  We ALL know how real the movies are, right? Ehhhh, not very real at all.  I have seen this within myself, even most recently with our winter season.  Once I could see that it was me creating my own suffering, I was free to let go and be present in the truth that was hidden under the 6 feet of white stuff.  That truth was that yes on the one hand the winter was very tough and on the other this really didn’t compare to other things I have gone through and come out the other side brighter and shiner because of it.  Once I was able to see things in their more balanced
perspective, I felt free.

You may be thinking…shagadelic dude, how does that happen? Or something like that.  To which I would respond, it happened by me allowing myself to feel my emotions but not get stuck in them. Through meditation and yoga as well as talking to many friends who were right there with me, I was able to realize that this was not only happening to me and that it was time limited.
The more I shifted my perspective into noticing what I loved about snow and winter, the more I noticed things that I loved.  Like a very friendly neighbor who I met when shoveling who joined in the fun to help me out.  As well as his big beautiful fluffy dog who loved the snow and would pounce down our hill after each snow storm.   Also there was a wonderful woman who saw
me walking on a bitter cold day and gave me a ride to the T station. There were people on the T that joked around with me as we waited for what seemed like forever for the train to arrive.  Every time I shifted my perspective I began to see the goodness around me.  Once I could shift my energy into seeing all of reality, things outside of me shifted as well. This change of perspective can not only come from your head.  You can’t just think your way out of being stuck in a rut.  You must take action to shift your energy.  Just like Phil the weatherman, you need to do something different to see something different.  I was able to do it this winter by getting outside of my head and connecting with people by going to my yoga studio where I feel a kinship with others or by reaching out and spending time with friends.  Doing something physical other than shoveling was important.  Going for mindful walks and seeing the beauty around me as well as purposefully being aware when my thoughts went to the dark side so that I could bring them back to the light.  Your perspective may not shift overnight. It may take time but it is so worth it when you can experience the benefits of a bright and shiny smile.

For today, enjoy the beauty around you.  Let go of what is not working because while you are focusing on that there are wonderful things around you that you are failing to notice.  Enjoy the day as it is the only one we have at the moment!

Cheers!