Dealing with thoughts of shortage or yearning

In between activities, in Life’s pauses – or as a seemingly constant inner background – where does the mind go?  Does the mind – do I – go to shortage of something, or yearning for something?  

What is that something?  Peace? Joy?  The experience of being loved?  Time alone?  The company of another?  The touch of another?  Movement or activity?  Energy? Motivation?  The experience of health and vigor?  Alcohol or another drug?  Food?  Money?  Freedom from stress?  Rest? I am familiar with all of those thoughts!

Where does that habit of mind come from?

We know that Life is one choice – conscious or not – after another.  We can change our habits.  We can outgrow habits that do not serve us. 

To begin, do we choose to remain in shortage and yearning, feeling sorry for ourselves, or do we choose a path of self-examination, growth, service and joy?

What sources of joy and gratitude do we have enough of, even an abundance, which offset our perceived shortages, which assuage our yearning, or which at least help put them in a healthful perspective?

Do we bring our consciousness out of anxiety, self-righteousness and self-pity and to cultivation of awareness of our inner Spirit, or inner Source of wisdom and peace; of patience (including with ourselves); of gratitude; and of love?

On discomfort

Where would we be without discomfort?  Without discomfort, we would learn little and be emotionally and intellectually stunted and physically unfit.  We would lack compassion, and have none of the satisfactions of accomplishment and contribution to others.

Yet it is natural to avoid discomfort and, when it occurs, to try to reduce or end it.  Our processes of avoiding and mitigating discomfort, when made conscious, are fascinating to behold and examine.  One sees that Life really is a series of choices of responses to circumstances, many of our own making (intentionally or not) and of course many beyond our control.

I see four main responses to discomfort.  The first is to wait for the circumstances producing our discomfort to end.  The second is to act to end, or escape from, those circumstances as quickly as possible.  

Third, it can help much to be grateful that things are not worse - to be glad that there are countless sources of discomfort which are absent - and to be grateful for our blessings. 

Fourth, by choosing love over fear and flight, we can grow from discomfort.  We can enlarge our capacity to bear discomfort by examining the chain of our individual experiences, judgments and feelings which produce it - and the benefits of embracing it.  We can accept our response of discomfort and forgive ourselves and, when necessary, other people.  We can outgrow, or learn to live with, various discomforts one by one.  We can learn to live with truth, even when it is uncomfortable.

Finally, and fortunately, we can apply all four of these ways to deal with discomfort.