The sweet life

An astrologer recently reading my natal chart said that I thrive on excitement in my life. I laughed. She's right. But I have been burned in the last few years by finding excitement of the destructive variety. It's hard to remember that the beauty and loveliness, even the mundane things in life can be exciting. After she said that, I began to embrace a vision of an exciting life that is full of pleasure and peace.

I've been thinking lately about the oxytocin trend. It is accepted current science that oxytocin is the antidote to excessive levels of adrenaline in our bodies that cause all sorts of problems. Adrenaline puts our body in a constant state of stress and creates an imbalance in nearly all our internal systems. Oxytocin is the pleasure and love hormone.

Once I started paying attention to excitement, pleasure and stress, I noticed how obsessed I am with worry. Seriously, I can make any molehill a mountain. So improving my outlook, embracing and enhancing the pleasure and joy in my life have been priorities.

It's not easy....such ingrained habits take conscious work. The usual tools of meditations and affirmations help, but something else has proven key. Trust. Trust in the goodness of the Universe to bring me good things and the ability to handle whatever seems less than "good". I notice a deeper ability to relax. The adrenaline subsides a little. Not everything is a fight. I am also trusting more in my relationships. Baby steps at honesty and openness even when it feels like it threatens my safety.

Safety is such an illusion. I, like most of us, were taught that maintaining control over everything about our life and our environment keeps us safe. Nope. Not even close. The more I let go and trust, the more I walk in gratitude for what IS and look for the ways to feel pleasure, the sweeter life gets.

My teacher once said "Gratitude builds personal power". That confused me for a long time, but I get it. Gratitude gets you out of the victim mentality that, here again, seeks control and gets frightened when that control is lost. Walking in gratitude gives me a perspective above the circumstances where I can see many more possibilities, and then trust that the solution will come with love from the unseen hand of Life.

When I'm in an exciting time, like I am right now, I savor the feelings and look for ways to expand the feeling to every area of my life that seems challenging and ways to share it with others. I embrace gratitude and trust because I want a sweet life. I'm ready to release any negative drama I used to think was necessary.

I am ready to thrive on the excitement of a peaceful, sweet life. Namaste.