IN THE EYES OF THE BEHOLDER

A tag rubbing at your neck from a shirt, socks or shoes that create a blister, burning a finger on a hot pan.... all irritants. Right? Each one of us has items that irritate the living hell out of us. Toilet paper on the roll turned in the opposite direction, people on their phones at a stop light unready to GO on Green-getting in line behind the super coupon user at the grocery-OMG always me in the J-Lo position with only a few coupons if any- you? Uncle Ed has stated that I am like the Princess and the Pea. You know the story. Carol Burnett played the Princess on a TV special- do you remember it? Go ahead watch the special if you can. A princess had an irritant.

The littlest irritant needs eradication. Irritant - Let’s talk about shelf rearrangement in the fridge/pantry. Sustenance has placement. The questions- what and where is that placement? Take a breath, close my eyes and visual where Uncle Ed put the TRISCUITS. I closed my eyes and visualized sustenance at eye level. Uncle Ed puts the placement

of sustenance in positions as tall as the Empire State Building. Have you experienced the challenge of someone else moving around your perfect arrangement of items? Namaste - I have – irritant - take a deep breath, inhale and exhale, now open eyes and conduct a search party.

Uncle Ed has called my sisters and me the food police. This description of food police has occurred when a deployment of detective skills is needed to find the COLD Diet Coke. Irritant-close my eyes, take a breath. Irritant-I would imagine you could list minimally one irritant couldn’t you? Whether I acknowledge an established irritant or become one is in the eyes of the beholder and each

takes a specific intentioned mindset. I have entertained the possibility that I may be an irritant to others as well as to myself. Irritant - really is about “ones” attitude and response to any action, or situation.

Really - an irritant is eradicated by the way our mindset greets the Princess’s pea. That’s a tough gig for us to reconcile our mindset as irritant eradicator. Much easier to create chatter and blame others isn’t it? Namaste - take a breath, close your eyes-

grasp responsibility for the irritant, internalize what pisses you off and turn a J-Lo cheek.

Now actioned mindset shift, take the tag off the shirt, change your shoes and socks (sock irritants - a blog for another time), wear oven mitts, flip the toilet paper, give the stoplight people a break and clip some coupons. As you turn your J-Lo cheek, acknowledge that we may become irritated and we may irritate. Tit for tat, one hand washes the other…that’s right wash your hands, check your ego, practice compassion with others and yourself. Namaste Ways irritant…Namaste Ways.