Hello, All,
I hope you had a good time when I was off last month (but not because I was off LOL) and enjoyed the 4th of July, if that's a holiday you celebrate.
Me, I didn't do much on the 4th but celebrated my birthday on June 8th.
And you may not be surprised to hear that I have a story about it:
It had been rainy here in Alexandria, but the weather was GLORIOUS on my so-called “special day” and I HAD to soak it up by taking a walk.
Thankful for my improved mood and marveling at the perfect level of sunshine and crispness of the air, I said, “Wow, how can it get any better than this?!”
Though arising spontaneously in that moment, it was a question I'd picked up from some spiritual teacher or other. And I liked it because I believe that…
Questions have the power to help us make heaven or leave us in hell.
And it depends on how they're framed.
You'll hear me say “our stories are like seeds: they produce matching crops.”
And the way I see it, a question is a story looking for an answer.
The story…seed…contained in the question “How can it get any better than this?” is that things CAN get better. By planting that story…that seed…I primed myself to become aware of the matching crops.
Or the supporting evidence of things getting better.
Quality questions produce answers that delight us.
Or at least help us see better possibilities.
But asking quality questions isn't the norm.
We're more conditioned to ask, “How much worse are things gonna get?!”
And then we become aware of things getting worse.
So back to my birthday…
I'm crossing the street with a pep in my step rolling the question, “How can it get any better than this?” over in my head.
I turn the corner.
My eye catches a stash of goodies that someone had left out to share.
I slow down and let out an, “Ooo,” as I pick up a caddy full of herbal teas.
Huh, life showed me how things could get better faster than I thought!
Next time we meet, I'll share a quality village-making question.
Until then, …
Ask yourself, "How can it get any better than this?” and then pay attention to your surrounding and ideas that occur to you.
Do this ESPECIALLY if things aren't going well—it will prime the pump for a nice surprise for you.
All the best.
