This week I posted a little story on Facebook. I want to share it again here because of the wisdom in some of the comments it inspired:
Last night I was dealing with some sad news and I started to cry. Aiden (2.5) comes up to me and says, in his sweet little voice,
“Mama, what’s wrong? Did you eat some fire?”
“No, honey, I just had some sad news; I am okay”
“You should eat some cheese. Cheese is not hot. Did you eat some cheese? Or something yucky?”
By then I was laughing so hard I couldn’t feel sad any more. He is such a little angel.
One of the many beautiful comments that friends posted in reply said:
“Sad news is like eating fire, isn’t it?”
Isn’t it?
I have to admit, that the issue I was dealing with leaves me both sad and angry. It’s one of those things that you hear about and think – and know in the roots – that is just wrong. Like a one-year-old losing his mother right before Christmas. Like children without shoes and warm clothes in the cold. Like people hurting each other for no reason (is there ever a good reason?).
Sad-mad. It can feel like eating fire.
Some things we can’t change. Sometimes, we just have to sit with that feeling of fire, and let the tears roll.
Other times, that fire can become a powerful fuel for change.
I was chatting with one of my online clients this week, and she shared that a certain situation in her life was becoming “so uncomfortable.”
“Good.” I said. “This means you’re ready to make a change.”
Some years ago, I had the pleasure of editing a graduate thesis – an in-depth scientific study – on dieting. The study revealed that the people who enjoyed long-term success in keeping their unwanted weight off were the ones who reached a tipping point – a point of extreme discomfort that went beyond the physical. They said things like, “stop the insanity,” and, “This has to end now.”
They ate the fire.
They felt the pain. They said, “enough.” And they made a positive difference in their lives.
Caroline Myss calls such moments the shift from victim to victor.
Beyond, “it isn’t fair!” Beyond, “why is this happening!” Comes a powerful point of change.
So if you’re feeling that fire, that sad-mad, then please remember:
it is part of the path.
My wish for you, this holiday season, is that you enjoy all the little angels in your life (and the big ones too). May your fire burn bright in the fireplace, and may everything you eat be delicious. And if by chance, you “eat the fire,” may it mark a turning point – toward positive change, toward light, creativity, love, and connection.
Namaste,
Erin
