There’s an old song by Patti LaBelle that has this chorus: “I’m feeling good from my head to my shoes, Know where I’m going and I know what to do, I tidied up my point of view, I’ve got a new attitude.” This phrase: “Know where I’m going and I know what to do” is a good description of energetic alignment. When we’re aligned, we feel purposeful and we’re moving in the direction we want to go. It is a focused feeling, yet “easy.” The song’s lyrics also cue us about the path to get to this place of ease and effortlessness; by suggesting that we “feel good” and “tidy up” our attitude. Feelings and thoughts are certainly important ingredients in the recipe for transformation in our lives.
We’re hearing a lot about “attitude” and the power of our thoughts these days. I couldn’t agree more with the importance of listening to what it is we’re thinking and picturing in our minds. But, there is so much emphasis on the mental aspect (visioning, positive thinking) that sometimes the other part of the dynamic, the “feeling state” is overlooked. It is the feeling aspect that reflects our vibrational level. If I’m trying to picture for myself a new level of health, security or happiness and underneath there is a feeling of fear, distrust or disbelief, the vision will not be compatible with the vibration. Not much will change. The feeling state has to shift up a degree or two (or more) to be a good match with the picture I’m seeing. At that point, transformation can happen.
I had an opportunity to “tidy up my attitude” and move into a better-feeling place recently when we were at a Wisconsin cottage with my husband’s family for a week of socializing, water sports, eating, and playing games. I’ve half-jokingly dubbed cottage time with the Kessenichs an “Extreme Sport.” Now, let me start by saying that if you’re going to spend a week with family, the Kessenichs are a good group to be with. They are tremendously fun-loving, good humored, kid-centered, caring people. But you’d better be ok with noise and lots of activity as they are a large group (we were around forty or so this year), with big voices and a huge appetite for fun. It can be a tad overwhelming for those of us whose families of origin were small and quiet.
We fill every bed in the cottage (about ten slept there this summer) and then spill over into a couple of small rentals, some campers, tents, and trailers. But, we congregate in the cottage most of the day and evening because it is closest to the lake, the food, and the beer. Suffice it to say that the kitchen and the one bathroom get plenty of use.
This is a lot for the small cottage to take on, and for me as well. I admit to liking quiet, order, one-on-one conversations, a neat kitchen to work in, some privacy in the bathroom, and an early bedtime. Though I was determined to set my mind, my energy and my feelings in a positive place this year, I found myself aware of the “recipe for disaster” that seemed to loom. Forty people sharing a kitchen, a bathroom, a couple of jet skies. What if it rains? What if the toilet breaks down? Whose idea was it to throw a dune buggy into the mix? What if someone gets hurt? Can the refrigerator stand this constant use? Will there be enough food for forty for dinner?
I admit to feeling anticipatory panic and envisioning potential disaster. I didn’t want to feel this way, but I couldn’t get a handle on how to transform my worries and fear that something would go wrong. Then, I started thinking over the years that we’d been visiting the cottage and realized that, despite everything, against all odds, against reasonable thought, the week at the cottage seemed to work out. In fact, somehow, it usually worked out quite well. The toilet has never broken. When it has rained, somebody has taken the kids bowling. There have been scrapes and a strained ankle or two, but there haven’t been any serious injuries. Despite teenagers with voracious appetites who over-estimated their one-fortieth of the salad and garlic bread, there has usually been enough food for everyone at dinner. When tempers have flared, the conflicts were quickly resolved. There is even the occasional moment of quiet (you have to get up before everybody else in order to find it, but I like doing that anyway). I have survived, I have even enjoyed myself. Somehow, it works out pretty well.
Realizing this immediately helped me feel better. And, remembering the importance of the feelings as well as the mental state, I let myself settle into feeling lighter, easier, more comfortable with the upcoming week. I stayed focused for a few moments on the feelings and let the vibration of them really start to glow. I touched into pleasure and fun and enjoyment.
So that was the re-frame, the “tidied-up attitude.” It went from “This can’t possibly work” and the accompanying negative feelings of irritability and worry, to “Somehow, it works out pretty well” and the feelings of pleasure and ease (ok, almost ease). And, as the week went on, I experienced those feelings with the family, while I watched it work out “pretty well.” I was in alignment and I ended up having the best time I’ve ever had.
By changing the order of the chorus in the Patti LaBelle song, we can find a pretty good formula for Esssence Alignment: Tidy up your point of view + Get a new attitude + Feel good from your head to your shoes = Know where you’re going and what to do. Please test out the formula and let me know your results. I can’t wait to hear.