Trapped!

When i came home from a 3-day retreat on Friday, i saw a chipmunk in the kitchen. I set up the hav-a-heart trap, complete with sunflower seeds. An hour later, i saw the chipmunk in the solarium; then it hopped into the cabinet under the sink in there. I moved the hav-a-heart trap to the solarium.

Finally, Sunday afternoon, i heard a familiar rattling. Some inside the hav-a-heart wanted out.

What are we trapped by? Home maintenance? Family? Job? Money? And how are we going to get out?

The simple answer is "Let go," but that is not easy.

We can begin by letting go of our stressful thoughts, one by one. We can do that by practicing RAIN.

• R   Recognize what is happening 
• A  Allow life to be just as it is
• I   Investigate inner experience with kindness
• N  Non-Identification.  
  

Simply begin by being mindful of the stressful thought, the stressful emotion and, at the same time, being kind to yourself.