“ Life is totally taking care of everything.
Who I am, who everyone is—is life.
We can all relax, and let life do all the work.”
~ Pamela Wilson
A simple phrase can change everything. Get ready, because it may radically alter your everyday perspective on all that arises.
Here it is: “Oh, this.”
When does “Oh, this” come into play? Whatever happens, whatever appears, the most simple and intelligent response is, “Oh, this.”
It means we’re available to what is with openness in our minds and hearts, accepting everything in a warm embrace…without preference. “Oh, this” aligns our whole being with how consciousness is always meeting all experience…fully allowing everything to be as it is.
Say “Oh, this” to:
• Whatever is happening now
• Events from the past
• Things people say and do
• Your own emotional reactions
A friend recently told me this has been one of the most helpful practices along her path. And maybe it will help you, too.
By saying, “Oh, this,” we’re not being passive or resigned. We’re not gritting our teeth and putting up with things or just getting through.
We don’t have to grin and bear it. And we certainly can act appropriately as needed.
“Oh, this” simply says ‘Yes!” to what is. It’s a revolutionary shift that transforms our whole way of being.
Let’s explore the opposite, “Oh, not this,” and how that reaction resists reality:
• I don’t want you to be saying that.
• I don’t want you to want that.
• I don’t want this to be happening.
• That shouldn’t have happened.
• I don’t want to feel the way I feel.
These statements all communicate a resistance to what is. We want others to want what we want them to want. We want to revise history or write the script for what should happen now and in the future.
And how much pain does resisting bring to your life?
If we’re caught up in a flurry of fears and reactions, we’re not thinking clearly. If we’re pushing ahead to get our way, we’re in your heads, closing down to what is and overlooking possibilities for wise responding.
But shifting to “Oh, this” aligns us with what’s here as we relax in the face of life’s challenges. This space of acceptance creates the possibility for intelligent, fresh, and heartfelt responses to arise.
The phrase, “Oh, this,” is the perfectly-wrapped gift that we give to ourselves—and everyone else. And it’s a gift that keeps on giving because it keeps grounding us in our present moment experience.
And here…right now…is where we discover breath, life, and intimacy with all that is…
Why not try it?
