By: Dr. Ann Weller

Fields

Let’s create fields in your mind. A lovely one, where you feel peace and joy. What do you see? What do you hear, smell, and feel? What thoughts grow in this field? Who’s there with you? Now, create a wretched field, all unhappiness and despair. Notice your senses here. And your thoughts. And your company.

These fields are kinds of consciousness. And you spend your whole day in fields. Almost always the same ones, actually. How do you feel most days? Those are your fields. You’re spending time there.

You don’t have to stay in a wretched field. You may. But you don’t have to. You’ll still be you if you go to a better-feeling field. The air is cleaner. Things are clearer. Reality is evident, and it’s not at all terrible. You see your available choices. You observe your possible futures. Your favorite people are there. Things click. You’re still you. But you’re happy.

You choose your field, even if it doesn’t feel that way. You wake up every morning, and make your way to your field. Pay attention. If you’re unhappy, pick a different field. You need to take the steps to get there.

Steps are things like a small act of accomplishment. Making your bed. Paying that bill. Walking the dog. Steps are fun things, like singing in the shower. Coloring. Pretending you’re an animal. Steps are thoughts. Like, “There’s actually a lot of good things about this moment.” Or, “I can’t wait to see my friend at dinner tonight.” Or, “I look actually quite decent today.” Or, “I can think of at least one person who truly loves me.” Steps are the things you do and think in order to feel better.

Feeling okay is your natural state as a mammal. Dogs are okay. Cats are okay. Monkeys. Elephants. Hedgehogs. Seals. They’re all okay. We humans have to work pretty hard to not feel okay. We have to focus on terrible things. We have to worry and plan and stress and regret. We have to live robot-like, in all our habits. Get rid of all that, and you’ll feel okay. Stop doing all that, and you’ll find yourself quite happily in your peaceful field.

It can be hard to get a foothold there, in that pristine and peaceful field. You’ll tend to wander back to familiar feels, quite unconsciously. That’s normal. Take a step, again, toward the field you like.

It is your choice.