Empty space and the stories we tell!

The tooth fairy came to visit our house today! Our six year old lost a little pearly white for the first time; so while she slept in the soft peacefulness of her dreams, a handwritten letter and a gift appeared next to her pillow. Otherwise it was just an ordinary day. How good we are at weaving high quality stories for our children!

A friend and teacher Nithya Shanti says, “there is empty space and the stories we tell”. The little stories we tell ourselves and others all day become the story of our life. “My boss is a tyrant. My wife is a nag. My husband is lazy. Life has been unkind. I’m too busy/ tired/ angry/ scared”. These are poor quality thoughts that we keep believing more deeply as we repeat them. Can we tell stories that are on the other side of the coin? “I’m so lucky because…., It’s an awesome day because…., I’m feeling great because…This can be done because….”.

Our brains are tuned to pick up threat so a negative, potentially damaging thought quickly puts us in an ‘away state’ and makes us mentally run for shelter. It takes a stronger positive to pull us back into a ‘toward state’.

So when you’re at the proverbial water-cooler at work or chit-chatting with friends, what story are you weaving? Is it a high quality one?

photo credit: stockvault.net & the Jha archives

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