The jabs of yesterday beating the coulda woulda Shouldas

 JOY WEEK II—

What Steals Your Joy?

So you’re walking down the street and you hear that song....what song?   You know that song that reminds you of that someone in that moment.   You know that moment that was almost  perfect or was perfect but it disappeared....It might be a sunny day and you may have just had your favorite. Frozen yogurt (unless you read yesterday) or a fresh pita wrap and green tea.  You might almost think you could skip again. You remember skipping?  It’s Avery efficient. Way of bending the no running  rule.  However, I  am not sure you can skip in church although the Bible doesn’t  forbid it, there may be something in the appendix of the Baltimore Catechism .  anyway it was a fine day and then you got a 

Jab Of Yesterday....

Sometimes these jabs are  more of a knock out  punch, howeverr, often  they are more like a sucker  punch a short jab to the emotional kidneys.   

Can you prevent these  Jabs?  Nope because  the human brain stores things in vats of experiences and  there are trillions of little. Associations swimming around just waiting to connect with external  input.  we need these associations to  function in a narrative world and to make  sense of the stories we learn from or teach with so they do more harm than good most of the time.   the challenge is... not all these associations are. Pleasant or helpful in the course of your present situation and thus  they present great joy theft potential.  Now what makes  this whole  jabs from yesterday more. Tricky is that they bring the dreaded self-slaughtering  triplets.

Who are these triplets that so often create barriers to seeking peace and joy?    Their initials?  CWS—No... not Chicago White Sox—not College. World Series—not Cheese Whiz supplements...

COULDA-WOULDA-SHOULDA!

Instead of hanging into the potential joyful active moment you find you’ve slid into the proverbial  replay  booth.    

So... can’t we ever. Remember  the past and be joyful?  Yes!!! However remember the joy is a current thought or feeling  that has grown from. The joyful seed of days gone by.  

Unfortunately  let’s go back to. CWS... It’s pretty hard to avoid and yet there are some things to  assist  in the process of moving beyond CWS.  The most powerful tools I have found are these two questions...

Did I do what I thought was best at the ti e?  That time is not now so as long as you usually do what you think is best at the time then  learn the lesson based on the process and the results and. Move along.   

If you  coulda, w2oulda, or shoulda in a given situation Could have another person done something different too?  Would things have been. Different if others. Would have made other choices that you had no control over?  Should others  have taken different actions—demonstrated different. Beliefs etc.. In short was the thing that has your butterfly wings weighed down with regrets really ALL ABOUT YOU?  

The trouble with Jabs of Yesterday is that we so often. Make them all about us and then we are left alone to battle the demons.  

well, to  sum up these jabs are normal.  The best counterpunches  are immediately  screaming  NO CWS!!!  FMake up your own phrase  for CWS.  Like Chicken Wearing Slippers— cowboys waltzing slowly—Or- Canoeing With Squirrels .  The point is catch yourself and drag yourself back to  the present and seek  out your support system if needed and certainly remind yourself  that then is not. Now.... 

So you are going to get jabs,however you can fight back by avoiding  the dreaded CWS.  You have. To expand your experiences beyond  the little  “Jug of You”” to be  most  able to get back on the seeking path...maybe eat some chocolate... (read a few. Blogs back :) 

Tomorrow. Is Hump Day  for most —for us it will be “jump” day...and as David Lee says... Go Ahead and  Jump”