First, I have to say that today it takes a whole heck-of-a-lot to knock me out of my peace. I suppose the result of years and years of going within and cultivating love for the parts of myself that had been abandoned. Of course, I'm fully aware that this inner delving never ends, for we are bottomless, vast, abyssal. And yet I'm often surprised when a fast-ball flies straight out of left-field and slams full-force into my gut. Knocking me flat on my ass and leaving me dizzyingly wondering what-the-fuck just happened???
When someone says or does something that has this type of impact, rather than an immediate reaction, I have found it works best to allow some space for processing all the triggers and feelings it stirs up. There's light in there somewhere and I'm always looking for it.
I ask myself questions like: Should I respond to this lunacy? My emotional-self usually screams, "Hell yeah!" (which always makes this the most challenging stage of the process). Would a confrontation improve or resolve the situation? Or will I simply find myself in the throws of a battle of wits over rightness?
Processing can take a few minutes or a few days to move through depending on the depth of the sting. For example, injustice, lies, judgment and defamation are real hurdles for me. Especially when coming from those whom I've foolishly placed my trust.
But if we sit with it all long enough, the key question eventually comes: Does this have anything at all to do with me?
I have found that any kind of personal attack can turn into the catalyst that helps strengthen us and our neutrality. Meaning that, in the end these unwarranted experiences actually fortify our acceptance, so we can free ourselves from the attachment to them.
In other words, all the ridiculous, absurd, nonsensical madness that we encounter can be seen as a perfect opportunity for us to sink just a wee bit deeper into our power.