Healthy SoFlo Issue 51 - Inca Goes Above and Beyond to Provide Safe & Healthy Foods
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HEALTHY LIFESTYLE · AUGUST 2017<br />
THE EXTRA-STRENGTH<br />
LIGHTENING BOLT:<br />
Why You Should Never Lose Hope<br />
Sometimes breaking through<br />
the pain of negativity takes<br />
an extra “jolt.” This one's<br />
for anyone in desperate<br />
need of some positivity <strong>and</strong><br />
inspiration. "Don't ever let fear turn<br />
you against your playful heart." – Jim<br />
Carrey If you prefer <strong>to</strong> listen, here's the<br />
podcast version of this post on iTunes<br />
<strong>and</strong> Soundcloud.<br />
If you're in need of some heartfelt<br />
inspiration, I'd like <strong>to</strong> offer you this<br />
video of Jim Carrey's commencement<br />
speech from a while back. What I find<br />
so profound is his underst<strong>and</strong>ing of the<br />
layers of life <strong>and</strong> humanity, as well as<br />
what universally traps us <strong>and</strong> halts us on<br />
our way <strong>to</strong> becoming our best selves.<br />
The reason I am sending this, (aside<br />
from the fact that it’s awesome) is that<br />
for me, this video is in itself a magical<br />
<strong>to</strong>ol for those moments of r<strong>and</strong>om<br />
suffering. Let me elaborate.<br />
If you are on a path <strong>to</strong> becoming your<br />
best self, you might encounter – at<br />
r<strong>and</strong>om – moments in your life, or days<br />
or weeks even, that you lose <strong>to</strong>uch<br />
with the brightness <strong>and</strong> joy that lives<br />
inside you. For whatever reason, you<br />
might become trapped in a mood<br />
or be overcome once again by your<br />
conditions. And often this dark cloud<br />
will feed itself – it will become more<br />
“true,” more weighty <strong>and</strong> real, <strong>and</strong> with<br />
your inability <strong>to</strong> find the salve, the more<br />
blind <strong>to</strong> the falsity of this mood, you<br />
become. This is when, once again, we<br />
are secretly removed of our power – by<br />
fear. Fear that “we will always be this<br />
way” <strong>and</strong> “how did I believe I could let<br />
this part of who I am go” <strong>and</strong> “the hope<br />
I felt was false after all.”<br />
It is during these moments that “extrastrength”<br />
meds come in h<strong>and</strong>y. And<br />
by meds, I mean a profound “jolt” from<br />
outside of us: the affects of someone<br />
with a lightning bolt of truth that can<br />
reach you through that cloud – that lie<br />
that is your chemical fear – <strong>and</strong> “jolt”<br />
you out of that physical mood/moment<br />
<strong>and</strong> back in<strong>to</strong> your awareness of joy. It’s<br />
like a hard-restart when the negativity<br />
programs won’t s<strong>to</strong>p running.<br />
That jolt is why we need each other.<br />
It is the truth behind the statement,<br />
“You are okay. You will always be okay.”<br />
Because you are not alone, <strong>and</strong> you<br />
never will be. You don’t have <strong>to</strong> do this<br />
growth <strong>and</strong> change alone – you can do<br />
it with million of others who are pulling<br />
you out of the darkness by a thick <strong>and</strong><br />
hefty rope. You are powerful <strong>and</strong> strong<br />
alone, <strong>and</strong> you are even more powerful<br />
because you are loved. You are loved by<br />
strangers <strong>and</strong> your fellow man – you are<br />
loved by me.<br />
Sometimes when clouds stick in<br />
our heads, we need those reminders<br />
from outside of us, <strong>to</strong> remind us of<br />
who we are, where we are, <strong>and</strong> that<br />
it’s – for real - okay. We need others<br />
<strong>to</strong> see us, <strong>to</strong> be our true mirror –<br />
because those damn clouds – they<br />
fog up that mirror.<br />
So that is why I offer you this as a way<br />
<strong>to</strong> remember in any moment of pain or<br />
greyness or suffering – you always have<br />
“The Extra-Strength Lightning Bolt.”<br />
And that is the grounding perspective<br />
of the millions <strong>and</strong> millions of people<br />
around you. You just have <strong>to</strong> start<br />
madly seeking the lightning bolt that’s<br />
going work for your cloud– literally<br />
Google it <strong>and</strong> look for it <strong>and</strong> ask for it<br />
out loud; invite it from everywhere <strong>and</strong><br />
anywhere. Don’t s<strong>to</strong>p until you find the<br />
insight/ the YouTube video / the words<br />
from a r<strong>and</strong>om friend / the passage in<br />
the r<strong>and</strong>om book / the one-liner in the<br />
r<strong>and</strong>om podcast – that rings that bell of<br />
truth that breaks through your cloud.<br />
Those old states of being can be very<br />
strong <strong>and</strong> can sometimes take hold<br />
without a moments notice. The most<br />
important thing <strong>to</strong> remember about<br />
those moments of despair – is <strong>to</strong> not<br />
give them any weight – no matter how<br />
much they try <strong>to</strong> convince you, don’t<br />
listen <strong>to</strong> them or try <strong>to</strong> figure them<br />
out. Recognize that they are false, they<br />
are worthless, they are old bad habits,<br />
<strong>and</strong> you need <strong>to</strong> find that rope <strong>to</strong> pull<br />
yourself out <strong>to</strong> “awareness” <strong>and</strong> the<br />
reality of who you are.<br />
In a very literal sense, using this <strong>to</strong>ol is<br />
about getting your grounded awareness<br />
back through as many external methods<br />
as possible. Because when it comes<br />
<strong>to</strong> big “viruses” in our<br />
programming, sometimes<br />
the fix has <strong>to</strong> come from<br />
outside of us. If you’re not<br />
experiencing a moment like<br />
this now, just keep it with you<br />
in that little coin slot in your<br />
jeans <strong>to</strong> pull out if you grow<br />
trapped in a dark mood that<br />
is begging for validation.<br />
You are always at your core, okay. You<br />
are good, your life is beautiful. Just<br />
don’t s<strong>to</strong>p grabbing ropes until you<br />
catch the right one that pulls you out.<br />
Keep going <strong>and</strong> don’t s<strong>to</strong>p. While you're<br />
in a place of stability <strong>and</strong> happiness,<br />
reinforce your cocoon – your pillownest<br />
of love <strong>and</strong> inspiration around<br />
yourself, because in these moments<br />
those will be the ropes that pull you<br />
back on<strong>to</strong> the ground where you truly<br />
exist. Loved, st<strong>and</strong>ing tall, <strong>and</strong> basking in<br />
the sun.<br />
By Sarah May Bates<br />
24 HEALTHY MAGAZINE