There have been many times in my life, and still some today, when I fight reality. I want a different outcome. I desire for things to be different than they are. I pray for divine intervention to change the facts. What usually occurs are that the facts remain and all I have done is to create pain and disappointment for myself. It is said that what we resist, persists. What if instead of resisting, we accepted?
Recently I was introduced to the Navajo word “Hozho.” It is the most important word in the Navajo language. Roughly translated it means peace, balance, beauty, and harmony. When you are one with and part of the world around you, it is said you are “in Hozho.” Here is how it shows up. Say there is a drought. Many of the modern religions would say to pray for rain. Instead, the Navajo hold a ceremony to help them be at peace with the drought, to be in harmony with the drought. Said another way, Hozho helps us to accept what we can’t change, to be at peace with those things beyond our control.
Think about how this may play out in your life. Right now in Chicago it is winter and winter this year is cold and snowy. Snow is not my favorite thing. It is pretty to watch at the end of the movie White Christmas, but I much prefer seeing it on television than shoveling it. What if instead of focusing my thoughts on my desire for it to be eighty-degrees and sunny, I instead fully embraced that it is snowing? Wishing I could walk around in shorts today only makes me sad. It makes me feel bad about my circumstance. It puts a damper on my day. The thought of wanting things different affects how I experience the entire day. If, however, I embrace the snow, my mood shifts. I don’t have to love it. I only need to accept it. The truth is that it is snowing. There is nothing I can do to change this fact. As I can not jump on an airplane headed for warmer climates, my only other choice is to accept my circumstances. The best I can do right now is embrace my current situation. In embracing and accepting my situation, I feel peace and can enjoy my day exactly how it is.
How often do you fight the reality of our life? How often do you wish for something different? How often do you pray for divine intervention to change your circumstances? And how often does your resistance to reality cause you pain? How can being in Hozho change the experience of your day? Share your experiences.
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