Shecky’s

Sometimes you have to grasp at old sayings: Laugh, and the world laughs with you; Cry, and you cry alone. Also: Laughter is the best medicine!

No matter what life throws in your path, I believe the best remedy is you just gotta laugh and take the lesson!

Like many of you, I am living a very strange chapter of my life right now. I know I’m not alone with this; I’m hearing it from people everywhere. Things are so in flux and ever-changing, it is almost a joke. It is at the same time extremely challenging, and full of grace.

Sometimes, the unexpected makes me laugh out loud, and sometimes it really makes me cry. The unknown is both exciting and scary. But I certainly cannot hold on to the illusion that I am the ‘doer’, that I am in charge of this wild adventure that is my human experience. I have never been more sure that there is something bigger going on. And whether you call that energy, I am certain it is not controlled by our mind, our limited understanding of “the big picture,” or our likes and dislikes.

We know that in Buddhism and in many spiritual texts, there is an understanding of “impermanence.” Nothing lasting forever. That when you’re sad, it will change, and when you’re on top of the world, it will change. We usually like it to change when things aren’t going too well, but not the reverse. No way. When things aren’t going well, we think we’ve taken the wrong path, or we get angry with The Uni-verse, or we look around for someone to blame. None of those things are true. They are just fabrications of our mind, seeking proof that we are in control.

Life is full of impermanence. Indeed, trying to keep things the way they have been is in fact a kind of sickness. Because it’s impossible, really. Life is energy, and the nature of energy is to move. So even on a physiological level, things are always in flux. So if we are trying to stay the same, whether in relationship to someone else, or to our work or our finances, we are actually retarding our own growth.

I was a ballerina for many years, and I came to know the humbling truth that our bodies are not the same each day. Some days we are flexible, some days a little inflexible. Sometimes we are off balance seemingly for no reason at all. I get to experience this even deeper with my daily yoga and meditation practice, and the more I quiet my mind, the more obvious are these subtle moments of change that are beyond my control or understanding. It is time for us all to make peace with this flux.

Looking around at people I know well, and those I barely know, UNCERTAINTY or the UNEXPECTED is the common thread we are all sharing. The cowardly response is to run and hide and wait until it’s over. The brave thing is to look it dead in the eyes and then laugh at it. Laughter makes everything less scary. Amazingly, the Unexpected can be your friend.

I have learned and believe that everything happens for your benefit. Yep, even the most challenging times. I have learned that it is true during and after the times when the rug has been pulled, and I’m thinking “Why am I here, experiencing this?” Later it is always revealed. Not usually as quickly as I’d like to understand and know, but it is always revealed. But figuring it out in the moment just wastes so much time and energy.

So soften your grip today, on whatever it is you’ve been holding and let your life change and move in the way it’s meant to. There are endless possibilities in the void, in the unknown—what will you fill it with today?

Maybe you just gotta laugh!

Love,

Rachel

Rachel is an expert Kundalini Yoga teacher. Follow her on Twitter here.

Mastin Kipp is the founder of The Daily Love, a website, daily email and Twitter account that’s merging pop culture with inspiration. He is also the co-founder of Self Approved Clothing, Ltd, a lifestyle apparel company that’s started a global self-esteem movement. The Daily Love has quickly become the fastest growing inspirational Twitter account and email list on the internet and reaches almost 400,000 people daily. Sign up for The Daily Love’s email to receive your daily dose of love>

GIRL TALK TIME: How will you embrace the unknown this week? What do you think of these tips?