It Is As It Is - Oct 05

If you're struggling with life, maybe today's reflection will help you. In today's 5 Minutes in Nature Liz recalls a quote from Eckhart Tolle; 'It is as it is, so I might as well say yes'. This helps her realise the power of accepting circumstances, rather than fighting them. In the acceptance she finds peace.

Transcript

Hello and welcome to Five Minutes in Nature with me Liz Scott. Up on Dartmoor with a very low grey cloudy sky, A little bit of a northerly breeze which isn't cold but means I'm just sheltering from it behind some gorse bushes which are just covered in yellow flowers and across from me I can see a robin. Now at the moment it's very green, There's a lot of greenery here on Dartmoor, The grass, The ferns and then there's the oranging of the ferns as they they change to their old terminal colours, And this little bob of red, Of the red-breasted robin, As it makes its way across the ground. So beautiful to see, I love seeing robins. And today's reflection comes about from something I heard from Eckhart Tolle. He's a spiritual teacher and author, And it was just an interview I heard with him. And he came up with this phrase, And I want to reflect on it with you today, And I'd love to hear reflections on what it touches in you he said it is as it is so I might as well say yes it is as it is so I might as well say yes now what did I hear in that What I heard in that, Well, It was quite pertinent because at the time I had a little bit of internal turmoil that a conversation I'd had with somebody, They had moved on to have another conversation with another party. And I felt as though I was being arced out of the conversation. So I was in a little bit of unsettledness. My ego was a little bit snubbed by this interaction. And then I heard this phrase from tolly. It is as it is, So I might as well say yes. " And when I heard it, I heard it quite deeply. And that internal angst and internal indignation from my ego just seemed to poof away, Vanish, Dissolve. Because I realised that in the absence of that story about how things should be, All I had left was the possibility and the openness of connection with myself and others. So it is as it is, So I might as well say yes. I mean, I can relate that to my mum, Who's got dementia, Is elderly, Is struggling with her health. And when I go up and care for her, I can find it sometimes quite challenging. And it's so sometimes to fall into the, It should be different, It's not fair that I have to do this. But when I reflect on it is as it is, So I might as well say yes, Well suddenly I'm in a different space. And what I realize is that this isn't a place of giving up. It's not a place of being a doormat. This isn't about me going, Oh, Well, It is what it is. You know, I'm just going to sit in the corner of the room and close the doors and never engage with anything in my life because it is what it is. There's nothing for me to do. It has a different reaction. When I realise that life is as it is, So I might as well just accept it. Then I stop engaging it with and wasting my energy on wishing life were different. And when I stop wishing and fighting against the way that life is, I fall into a space of possibility. I guess you could say I fall into a space of love. And then from that space of love, I'm able to reflect on where I want to go in the world, What I want to engage with in the world, How I might turn up in the world, How I might turn up with my friends, For example. Or sometimes I get a little bit lost in the feelings of hopelessness or helplessness. Around the nature of the environment or about the capitalist society we live in, The way that money is used to measure worth. Now, I can have internal conflicts about those things, But those are the way the things are. And when I say yes to the way that life is, I fall back into that space of possibility. Byron Katie is another spiritual teacher, And it reminds me of a phrase that she uses. I might have misquoted this slightly, But it's something like this. When I argue with reality, I lose, But only 100% of the time. When I argue with reality, I lose, But only 100% of the time. And that just makes me smile. Yes, That's the way of it. So how do you react to this phrase? For you, What are your reflections when you reflect on it is as it is, So I might as well say yes. Is there something you're going through in life at the moment that feels tricky or difficult? And just let me know how that lands for you. It is as it is, So I might as well say yes. Let me know your reflections and don't forget to join me again tomorrow for another five minutes in nature.

Reviews

We are so much more liberated when we don’t push against the tide, and as you say Liz, it opens up possibilities. That said, I think our ego naturally wants to step up with indignation when a slight is felt. I am guilty of this every now and again and it’s an old pattern of dealing with feelings of being disregarded that I’m not proud of. This came up recently with some misleading special offer and I became very cross when I queried it. I lost my calm and I don’t feel good about the conversation so this is a lesson for me to just accept what is and move on.

Thanks for this reminder 💗🙏☺️

“It opens the door to possibilities.” I love this! It turns everything around in a gentle and easy manner. It’s not someone saying, “you’ve got to be positive! Be happy!” It’s a slight suggestion that whatever the situation, it might turn out quite well, or at the very least, not as bad as I’d originally thought. I have been trying to remember that when things don’t go as I’d planned or expected that maybe there is a different way that I might like or is even better than I’d thought. Possibilities. I like that frame of mind ✨

I agree with this wholeheartedly, and still find it hard to do! 💕

It is as it is. Most recently I have been trying to coordinate a fence painting project with the neighbours on one side of our property. Weeks back I prepped the boards ready for paint. She works and only has weekends to do this.

Well fires and smoke prevented us, then my travels, then rain, then her travel and now high humidity.

We spoke yesterday and she basically said it is what it is so no sweat. The fence looks rough because it needs paint. She said we are likely the only ones that really notice it, I smiled and agreed.

We decided put it off until spring. That was a big step for me for I do not like leaving jobs unfinished.

Thanks fir these reminders Liz. ✌️❤️

I hear the quote as "it is as it is so embrace what is there". For me the quote suggests that we make the most of the situation rather than rail against it as the outcome for all will be better that way. It doesn't mean we have to like it but by embracing it we can make the best of it.