Excerpt #1 From My Upcoming Book
I promised an update this week on my upcoming book on Relationships. I’d like to report that I’m humming merrily along, and I’m about three-quarters of the way there! Yeaaa!
Here’s an excerpt for your reading pleasure.
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On one of my recent trips to buy groceries, a loud child over near the mayonnaise and salad dressing was expressing himself quite fully! Right about then, a grandma with a slight limp, wearing a frumpy sweater and odd looking pants walked by me in the Italian food section and commented out loud to me as she passed, “Somebody oughta just whoop that child and teach him a thing or two.”
This grandma was a little scary, frankly. I found myself thinking that maybe she was limping ’cause she had whooped a few too many in her day. And she herself had probably been whooped a few times, too.
The moment I thought that, I noticed my inner guidance system kick in. Until then, my inner guidance had been humming quietly in the background. But in that moment, with that thought about the grandmother, I felt a negative emotion.
Because I was paying attention (good for me), I noticed that the negative thought (a judgment) was followed by negative emotion. The thought caused an “Ouch” in my heart. It hurt a little to think what I was thinking. Imagining her past actions and judging them caused scrunchy, ouchy heart pain in me. So my good and faithful guidance system alerted me to the fact that following my train of thought was not going to help me, or her, or any of those whooped children in any way (regardless of whether my ideas about her past actions were factually true).
So I stood still for a while after she walked on (I didn’t respond to her verbally) and I took a moment to deliberately remember love, so I could return to a more loving state within myself. It took some time, but I got there. No use having two people in pain! She reminded me that thinking unloving thoughts is like giving yourself a good whoopin’.
I thanked her silently, and said a little prayer right there in the grocery store, holding the pasta sauce that had not yet made it into my cart. It must have looked a little odd, me holding marinara sauce in quiet prayer. In these ordinary moments, a grandmother in pain becomes an unlikely angel. After all, she gave me one of the clearest reminders possible about how to be gentle with myself – and I listened. How beautiful is that?
It’s ironic that this unhappy, oddly dressed, limping, stern woman reminded me that I have access to wisdom within. Because of this grandmother, I began to think about masters like Jesus and Buddha and Mohamed and the blessed Mother Teresa, right there in the middle of my evening of food shopping, right there in my local grocery store.
I thought about how this grandmother might even want to be Buddha if she knew how — or who knows, maybe she is the Buddha in disguise, like a Saint disguised as a weary traveler at your door, asking for food and shelter. I thought about all that, too. But either way, she was doing the best she knew how with what she had.
I thought about how Mother Teresa is known for visiting the sick or the suffering and simply opening her compassionate heart. So, for a moment, I pretended to be Mother Teresa. Seriously, I did. After all, my given first name is Teresa, and I thought, you know, why not stretch things a little? So I stretched. And it was most helpful to pretend to be wiser than I think of myself as being. It certainly relieved the pain of my judgment in the moment. And while I was at it, the pasta sauce and I bowed to all the unlikely angels in my life who are doing the best they can with what they have.
Grazie, sei molto gentile. (Thanks, you are very kind.)
Mary-Elizabeth
“She reminded me that thinking unloving thoughts is like giving yourself a good whoopin’.”
So true.
Terri Crosby
Thank you, Mary-Elizabeth! It’s nice to hear from you. I appreciate the high five across the miles. love, Terri
Keldwyn
Wow Terri, I am so happy to hear you are writing a book…for sure I will buy a copy hot off the press…! I also just read the blog about the nature show on TV and your dream…is this going to be somewhere in the book? It was very very powerful for me. You are a GIFTED writer.
I currently have a coach helping me with my writing…I have been working on this book for over 17 years, am on Version 8 and am READY TO GET IT OUT THERE.
Am going to speak briefly tonight at the Center for Spiritual Healing before Rob does several more healings. I have had pretty remarkable results over the last week and hope to see you guys there…think Eric might especially benefit, whether as a surrogate (get there early to fill out forms) or to just receive all the healings given to others on the Stage. Everyone benefits from these. I have been every week during January! Love you both.
Keldwyn
Terri Crosby
Thank you, Keldwyn!! Write on as they say (!!) and thanks for sharing about what works. Love! Terri
Cornelia Powell
Terri…hello and congrats on your book progress…..yippeeeee….
Cornelia
Terri Crosby
Thank you, Cornelia! I know you’re a PRO at the book thing, so thank you for your thumbs up! I really, really love writing! That’s a very good thing, since I’m doing a lot of it lately. I’m curious what your book writing process is like for you, if you’re willing to share a bit. Love, Terri
Ariel Marsh
I experienced something similar last week after I saw a picture on my Facebook feed of someone from the past with whom I had (or so I thought) long forgiven. As soon as I saw the picture, a very uneasy feeling came over me followed by negative emotions based on old hurts.. I tried to brush these feelings away but that only made them stronger.
I inquired within as to why, after all this time, I had such a reaction to this person’s photograph.Within a few seconds, I realized that there were lingering resentments coming to the surface that required my focused attention. I smiled to myself and called on the power of unconditional love to fill me as well as this individual. Within less than a minute, tears of joy filled my eyes. A deeper resolution of the old hurts occurred instantly and when I looked at the picture again, deep feelings of freedom and compassion filled the space between us.
It is a supreme gift to oneself and the world at large when mindfulness illuminates our way.
Terri Crosby
This is beautiful, Ariel! Thank you for sharing this!
love, Terri