“Life is simple. Everything happens for you, not to you. Everything happens at exactly the right moment, neither too soon nor too late. You don’t have to like it…it’s just easier if you do.”
– Byron Katie
Of all the concepts I’ve encountered in The Work of Byron Katie, this one is truly a struggle for me.
What do you mean, the bad stuff happens for me? The traffic jam that makes me miss my appointment, the wi-fi crash that keeps me off WordPress, the way December is already kicking my ass (AND IT’S ONLY THE 8th!)…all that’s for me?
It’s a tough pill to swallow, that every single moment is neither good nor bad but simply life’s lesson for me in that instant. It’s even more jarring to realize I’m the one making this whole thing harder by fighting it.
I guess that’s why it’s called The Work.
Riddle from the Middle 
That is tough. I always have to take a step back and think maybe there would have been an accident if I was on the road to that appointment, or I was supposed to help someone during the time I planned to write. I have to reframe the incident to help me relax and look at events happening in a different light. As for December kicking your butt is there something you are doing that maybe you need to take off your plate or something you should be doing that you aren’t? Just a thought.
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All very true. I have to work to break a lifetime of moaning when something bad happens; it’s a habit by now, but if I’m paying attention I can work my way around to understanding that I don’t know why I needed that particular lesson and look for what I can learn. I’m not great at this yet.
I’m blogging about the December thing now…it’s been an unusually high level of kid stress this year. Hubby said I needed to start looking for the joy. (Full disclosure: I may have made some snarky comment when he said this, but his point is well made.) But your point about what I should be doing is also a good one…I’ll have to give that one more thought. 🙂
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Great insight. You know you. It’s not easy to step back and look at the big picture.
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