“ Acceptance makes any event put on a new face.”
~ Henry S. Haskinsl ~
Pigeons! What do pigeons have to do with personal growth, you might ask?
Everything! The pigeons are offering me a perfect testing ground to walk my talk, so I thought I’d share the journey with you. You can substitute whatever is pushing your buttons right now for the pigeons in my story.
We have wild bird feeders on our deck and we just love the variety of birds that come to call. A few weeks ago, we found a domestic pigeon in our feeder. That was interesting. Then this first pigeon brought friends, multiple times every day. We can now have 9 pigeons crowding into our feeders at once. I haven’t been very happy with this.
What’s to be done?
I know that what we resist, persists. I also know that we get what we focus on. I’m both resisting and focusing on the pigeon visits. I think that’s why more and more of them are coming!
For peace, I need to let go of resistance and move into acceptance. Replace irritation with appreciation. Replace my anger with love. The reality is that pigeons are coming to the feeders. Accept that.
My ego and my wallet (they eat a lot!) don’t want to accept this.
But I aspire to live with awareness that all is one. At the quantum level, scientists have proven that the pigeons and I are connected.
So how do I make my peace with them? Well …
- What if I find them beautiful?
- What if I appreciate the miracle of their beings?
- What if I let go of trying to control life and embrace it as it is instead?
- What if I enjoy this life lesson in acceptance?
- What if I move into love for these pigeons? …
Will they then go away?
Ha! How manipulative is that! I don’t expect it will work. I’m sure my appreciation has to be genuine, and if I truly love the pigeons, I will no longer mind if they’re around.
Another key point – solutions may unfold that I haven’t even contemplated. For example, other people may put up a feeder, the pigeons may come one at a time, the owner of the pigeons might move… I can open to receive miracles!
Okay, now to actually do it!
What are your ‘pigeons’ that are a hindrance to your personal growth at the moment? We’d love to hear about them in the comments below…