JohnKowalsky.com
A Self Evolving Site
General
Releasing Pain
Jun 2nd
At times in life, we all undergo periods of discomfort and pain, whether physically or emotionally. Quite often the two are interrelated, with the negative emotions bringing dis-ease to the body, and vice versa. The pain is there to let us know we need to do something differently, whether to stay off our feet for a few days, or not eat that thing that upsets our stomach, or to keep better guard over our hearts and thoughts. The most important thing with pain is to listen to it. Learn what it wants to teach you, then you can thank it and send it on its way.
I am a firm believer that pain is a tool that guides us to a place of being where we can no longer experience it. It is a strong stimulus pushing us upward on our journey of spiritual and physical evolution. The old Chinese saying goes, “Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.” While pain can be healing, sometimes we get stuck there when it is no longer useful to us. We can become addicted to the feeling of a bad memory, the rush of the chemically depressing cocktail that our brain puts out when we think a certain way. In this case we are no longer in pain, but in suffering. Suffering is a choice that we can make at every opportunity. Have you ever noticed how some people around you seem to always be caught up in some kind of drama? Their car breaks down, they got in a fight with their spouse, the waiter brought them the wrong meal, the dry cleaners lost their clothes. It all comes back to how you want to look at the glass, whether half full or half empty. Lately, with great success, I have been welcoming the pain when it comes. Not seeking it out mind you, but not resisting it when it cannot be resisted. Then once the pain is accepted, I give myself permission to enjoy it. This works especially well with painful or negative emotions. Don’t fight against them, just enjoy them to no end. The funniest thing happens; before you know it, there is a smile on your face and you’re no longer in a bad mood, or angry, or hurt. The next time you’re in a funk, try to really enjoy it. See what happens and let me know about it.
Where We Live
May 16th
I was doing whatever it is that mad people do when ideas pop into their heads, and the words to an old song came into my mind. The song comes from Acts 17:28, “In Him we live, and move, and have our being…” it goes on, but I was graced with a new understanding of this Truth.
It always amazes me how much we’ve lost as a species, that our ancestors knew. Somehow, without this internet and computer and thousands of scientists, and physicists, and calculations, people knew that we exist within God. Look more closely at what Paul said, “In Him we live,” — I don’t know about you, but I tend to think that I live in my body, my mind, my thoughts… I live in a planet called Earth, in a solar system, in a galaxy, in a universe. All of these things are God, and I live in Him. I move in Him. I have my being, in Him. The Earth, and the environment, these are parts of God’s physical body, and we deny this at great peril to ourselves.
In the book of John, it says that, “everything was made in Him. Without Him, nothing was made that has been made.”
I find it interesting that we separate ourselves from physical contact with the Earth as much as possible. We see it as icky, and dirty, and unclean. We build quarantined rooms with absolutely no trace of a natural environment, and this is how we are introduced into the world. We are birthed already disconnected from the touch of God. We are usually conceived unconnected to God. We live cut off from God, and we die quickly and experience much pain because of it.
And yes, your house is a part of the Earth, but touching someone through a winter coat and touching someone’s skin directly… well do I need to spell out the difference in connection and relations?
Is it any wonder that Nature is out of balance? That We are out of balance?
“In Him we live, and move, and have, our Being.” – Something to think about the next time you step out your door.
Starting Your Day
Apr 23rd
“Oh, he just got up on the wrong side of the bed today.” — It’s a common expression, often heard at job sites everywhere. Have you ever noticed though, that some people always seem to get up on the wrong side of the bed?
You can’t always choose what mood you’re going to wake up in, but you can choose how you start your day. The energy that you start your day with, whether positive or negative carries through and overshadows your entire 24-hour experience. Don’t leave that energy up to chance. Develop a habit of starting your day the same way. Do things that start your day right and put you in a great mood.
The first thing I like to do when I wake up, even as I’m reaching over to turn off the alarm, is smile. Why smile? Because even if you’ve had the worst dreams imaginable, smiling causes your body chemistry to begin to alter. Don’t believe me? Try keeping a smile on your face for 60 seconds and see if your mood doesn’t improve.
Next, drink a liter of the best water you can get your hands on. If you can’t get the best water ever, then squeeze a lemon into it and drink the entire glass. Why? You lose a lot of water when you sleep. Your body is detoxifying and it is important to re-hydrate when you wake. It will also get your insides moving again.
After this, wake your body up fully with some stretching or yoga or physical activity of some kind. It doesn’t have to be a full on workout, just get the blood flowing and the muscles warmed up.
With a fully awake body, you now have a great place to focus on the rest of your day. Pray, meditate, or think about what the rest of your day will consist of. Get into a state of peace, joy, and love. See yourself doing the things you have to do today with love in your heart and a smile on your face. Then you are ready to have some breakfast and begin your day.
Try it out. Make up your own routine. I promise you, the better you start your days, the better the rest of your days will be.
Freedom Through Responsibility
Mar 10th
What if you were to blame for everything that ever happened in your life?
Every parking ticket, every break-up or divorice, every black eye and scar… Every love, every good thing, every victory, every defeat. What if all of these things came about as a direct result of you. What if you were responsible for everything that happens to you?
This is a tough concept for people to be open to, since most people have been raised from birth to be slaves and victims. “It’s not my fault.” How many times a day do you hear that? How many times is it you who’s saying it?
Why claim responsibility for everything in your life? Because that’s the only way that you can do something about your situation. If you are just a leaf floating in the wind, or a piece of wood floating on the ocean than you are and will always be at the mercy of the wind or the sea.
If you are powerless to change your life, it is only because you have given that power away. Most likely, you’ve given it to a hundred different unseen forces (friends, lovers, enemies, tv, advertising, commercialism, bad beliefs). And so, you play the victim, because that’s the path you’ve chosen for yourself in this life.
The way out of the victim lifestyle is to take responsibility for your life. Your boss doesn’t decide how much money you will make, you do. It’s not the cheesecake’s fault it has so many calories, you are the one eating it. It’s not your body’s fault for finally succumbing to the thousands of toxins it’s had to deal with on a daily basis for the last forty years, it’s your fault. It’s not the situation that made you unhappy, it’s you who chose to be unhappy about the situation.
So, what if you were responsible for everything in your life?
Think about it…
