Due to the recent time change, the sun was in a completely different place during my morning commute to work today. The sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon and it was huge and so bright. As someone who loves sunrises and sunsets, I enjoyed seeing it.
However, further along into my drive, I reached a spot where the top of the roadway met the horizon in such a way that the sun was blinding and in an instant, I could no longer see the road – all I could see was bright sun. Momentarily, everything else around me – the trees, the side of the road and even the cars in front of me were invisible due to the extreme bright light that was hitting me in the eyes.
I had a realization in that moment based on the books I’ve been reading by Michael A. Singer (Untethered Soul and The Surrender Experiment) that this blinding occurrence with the sun was much like how blind we become to everything around us when we get tangled up in our hearts (what we’re feeing) and our minds (what we’re thinking) in our daily lives.
Let me explain further using some concepts from an audio course called “Living from a Place of Surrender” that is based on Singer’s books referenced above.
Our life experience tends to be based on what we experience in the outside world and then how it makes us feel inside (both our feelings and our thoughts).
The way we feel about those things is based on other life experiences we’ve had and opinions we’ve formed about what we like and don’t like (or want to happen vs. want to avoid).
The events of the day and outside world first hit our hearts and make us feel some sort of emotions (if it’s a “good” thing that has happened, we feel joy and excitement; if it’s a “negative” thing that has happened, we might feel sadness, fear or anger).
But it doesn’t stop there. As soon as our emotional center has been touched, our minds then create thoughts to address those emotions. Sometimes it’s to protect us; other times, it’s to help us rationalize what has happened.
When the thoughts start flying, that’s when things often get uncomfortable and can seem out of control. The thoughts can take us to many places – distraction, judgement, or even a loop of worry as we overthink what we experienced or felt.
Why do I share all of this? Because this morning when the sun literally blinded me for a moment and I was at risk of hitting several cars in front of me, I likened the experience to when we get so blinded by our hearts (emotions) or minds (thoughts) that we can’t see anything else around us.
We can get caught up in a whirlwind of how we’re feeling or what we’re thinking so much so that we get blinded by those things and lose sight of our lives and those around us.
We can lose sight of the bigger picture, what we are grateful for and even perspective on how much the things that are happening really matter in the grand scheme of life.
Sure, in that moment, they feel HUGE and OVERWHELMING, but if we really pause and ask ourselves “will this matter in one day, one week, one month, one year,” we often find that it’s simply a temporary discomfort in our lives. Our power comes from deciding whether we want to stay STUCK in it or if we will allow ourselves to feel and experience it, then move on.
Time for Reflection - What “blinding sun” moments are you experiencing in your life right now? At work? At home? What changes and shifts do you want to make around how much of a hold these experiences (and the emotions and thoughts they bring) are having on you right now?
