Enjoying Our Pies
Today's ezine topic was inspired over at Good Vibe U, where Annette posted a video of Danny MacAskill doing tricky stuff on his bike as a reminder that nothing's impossible when we set our minds to it.
A string of appreciative comments later, Nancy Barry-Jansson agreed that it was indeed amazing, and that she was glad it was in his pie and not hers.
(Pie reference from Abraham's analogy that what someone else is doing doesn't have to impede on what we're experiencing, unless we get uptight or judgmental about it - and then it does become part of our pie, too.)
I loved how easily Nancy showed the ability to allow someone else their thing, even when it isn't her thing.
I felt the same reaction watching this clip from Andy Dooley's facebook page of someone surfing a wave too big to measure. (Seriously, is that for real?!) Astounding! And nothing I'm remotely interested in experiencing myself.
So I wondered, why was it so easy to leave them to their trick bikes and big wave pies, nutty as they are, but when it comes to things like war and infidelity and eating babboons we can have such different reactions?
How come I appreciate the surfer without having any interest in doing it myself, but winced about the Hadzu's hunt for babboon? ("Really? There isn't anything else you could eat?" I thought.)
Last night I caught a clip of Creed in concert, and while it wasn't a song I particularly enjoyed (although I do love some of their songs), I kept watching because it was so engrossing to see an artist doing his thing! Very cool to see!
Until it's a pickup artist at the bar (that's just offensive), or a politician making another dumb decision, or my boyfriend spending his entire spring, summer and fall golfing (seriously, you don't have anything better to do?).
Why am I not similarly impressed with someone doing life so differently than I would ever dream of, and feel the same appreciation for their enjoyment and experiences, knowing it doesn't have to be in my pie if I don't choose it?
With inspiration from Nancy I realized I can have the same "live and let live" response to cheating spouses and babboon eaters and government officials as I do to wave surfers and talented musicians. I can leave everyone else to their pies, and enjoy mine, whatever I choose to put in it.
(Which might include stuff you don't like, like some copyright violations activity and fostering homeless animals months on end and staying in touch with ex-boyfriends for life.)
It's my pie, and we don't need to approve of each other's ingredients. That would be good for me to remember, cause I can get off kilter when someone thinks I'm doing it wrong.
Maybe next time I find myself thinking they're doing it wrong, I could just say, "Glad that's his pie" the same way Nancy did about bike-riding Danny.
God bless us all for our crazy variety of pies, huh?
Jeannette Maw is the Good Vibe Coach and founder of Good Vibe University. Find more of her manifesting inspiration at Good Vibe Blog.