Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Letting Go of Fear


Gosh, what a reprieve! I had an appointment this afternoon at the dentist to have my wisdom tooth removed , but the dentist had a personal emergency, and my appointment is cancelled. This is the second week in a row that it has been cancelled on the dentist's end...and because I see things like this as omens....I am feeling it was just not meant to be...not at this time...not just before Thanksgiving. I know it will have to be done, but it doesn't ache and can wait until after the holiday.

I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. I've a precision partial being made to replace the one I have. When I say precision, it is truly precision. There are hooks in the back, no wires, and no one knows I have one. They look exactly like your own teeth, but they do not last so long. One wrong bite and that's it....cannot be repaired like a regular partial. Unfortunately, many years ago my jaw was broken in an auto accident, and the hospital that wired my jaw used wires too large and cracked several teeth...Top that with a union dentist who got hold of me about 30 years ago and botched up root canals and pulled teeth which didn't have to be pulled which is bad on its own, but top that with breaking them off and leaving roots which had to be removed almost 30 years later. So you see, not even half of my top teeth are mine and being that this is precision it not only takes lots of time and visits, but also, if even ONE tooth is removed, it may not stay in...thereby ruining my Thanksgiving. This is only a scenerio, mind you, but when you factor in that the unexpected happened two weeks in a row, there must be a reason.

Needless to say, my teeth are actually not what I really planned on talking about today, but they do factor in to the subject--fear---for try as I may, I have never been able to go to the dentist and act in a dignified manner. Actually, it starts before I even get there--the tears, the trembling body---I revert back to a small child when I go to the dentist....and knowing that I am going to have a tooth extracted? Oh, gosh, the fear starts the night before. So last night when I got home from work I went looking for a meditation or ritual to help me through the day, and I would like to share a meditation I found in one of my old, old books.

Letting Go of Fear

Picture yourself floating peacefully down a gentle stream. All you need do is to breath, relax, and go with the flow.


Suddenly, you become conscious of your situation. Frightened, overwhelmed with 'what if's' your body tenses. You begin to thrash around, franticlly looking for something to grab onto.


You panic so hard that you start to go under. Then you remember--you're working too hard at this. You don't need to panic. All you need to do is breathe, relax, and go with the flow. You won't drown.


Panic is our great enemy.


We don't need to become desperate. If overwhelming problems appear in our life, we need to stop struggling. We can tread water for a bit, until our equilibrium returns. Then we can go back to flowating peacefully down the gentle stream. It is our stream. It is a safe stream. Our course has been charted. All is well.


Today I will relax, breathe, and go with the flow.


(From "The Language of Letting Go" by Melody Beattie C 1990, Hazelden Foundation)

9 comments:

  1. I too see things as happening for a reason. Which doesn't mean that I believe in Fate, per say. Just... like you said it... Things happen for a reason.

    Luckily, I'm not afraid of the dentist. Oh I don't like dental visits, anymore than anyone does. But they don't panic me. And I guess it helps that I'm very relaxed and friendly with our dentist.

    But I'm certainly sorry for you, that you do panic. And glad you found this meditation. And hope it works wonders, for you.

    Addition to my (Aunt Amelia's) last post
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  2. It's actually quite funny now when I think of it. I'll walk into his office. His receptionist is so sweet and she will say, "Hi, Mary, how are you?" And at those words I become a blubbering idiot. I guess it stems from my butchering in the past.

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  3. May I add something, which is OT but... I feel as if I can say it to you and you won't roll your eyes at me. -grin-

    The post in my blog, the one I link to at the end of my/this Comment... It's a very important/troubling happening to me.

    I was eating lunch and had the feeling/thought/whatever, to turn on the tv news. A very unusual thing for me to do, btw. It was about 1:30pm and I turned it on and .... I heard of this troubling news.

    Now I call this Synchrinosity. As in, when one is tuned to something/some one, they can sometimes "know" when something is happening [or about to happen] concerning that something/some one. It's happened too many times, for me to call it coincidence. And coincidence is what my husband called it, up to one particular happening. And that made him a 'believer' too.

    Wondering if you have seen Synchrinosity, in your life...? Or if your Readers have...?

    Addition to my (Aunt Amelia's) last post
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  4. Oh, gosh, I most certainly have. Even with today's event. No one called me to cancel my appointment, but something within told ME to call. I just somehow knew. The poor receptionist was so apologetic that she hadn't called, but said they didn't have my number in that office. I usually go to an office in the city. Have you read any of James Redfield's books on "The Celestine Prophesy" or and it was Carl Jung who coined the phrase. I highly recommend reading both authors.

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  5. so sorry to hear about your teeth... I have had teeth issues ... not a fun thing...such a nice meditation.... yes... we must not allow fear to control us... easier said than done sometimes yet with practice it does become easier. deep breaths truly do help...

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  6. It's too bad you didn't have more trustworthy dental care! At least this dentist (although someone who cancels on you) seems to know what he's doing. Hope everything gets fixed in no time!

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  7. It is the first time i give dental blessings. I am sorry you had all those misfortunes about your teeth.
    You are doing the right thing following your insticts.
    Today i will try to go with the flow!
    Brightest blessings!

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  8. Thank you all for your thoughtfulness. Sometimes I say, the heck with it, get em all out, but I have a friend who did and now she keeps getting sores from her bridges.

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