Recently while running the tub for a bath I had an epiphany of sorts. I took my time to fill the tub ensuring the water was at the perfect temperature. I added Epsom salt and essential oil to optimize the experience of my respite time. I lit a candle and made sure the house was quiet.
Relaxing in the tub was something that I was looking forward to. It had been a busy day. When the tub was full, I stepped in and realized even though the temperature of the water was delightful to my hands and arms, my feet told my brain.
“Retreat! Retreat! Warning!!! Warning!!!! There is hot molten lava in the tub!”
“What?! Come on feet!” I thought to myself reaching down to touch the water with my hand again to be sure of what I already knew.
“Yep. Still perfect. What the heck feet?” I thought a little annoyed at the delay of my relaxation.
It took me a long time to convince the flashing warning lights of my feet to calm down. I had been running around the house with no socks on and my feet were cold before I stuck them in the bath water. The environment my feet had been exposed to all day had negatively affected my relaxation event.
After quite a few minutes I finally acclimatized my sensitive feet to the temperature by giving in and adding some cold water. As I sank into the tub and I wondered to myself.
“How many times in life did I reject a pleasant experience because I was uncomfortable with it? How many opportunities have I missed out on because of my metaphorical cold feet?”
There are moments in my life when the fear of change made me so uncomfortable, I decided against it. But was this the right thing to do? In this instance I knew I wanted to relax in the bathtub, I had looked forward to it all day. Yet the reaction of my cold feet hitting the warm water distorted my experience and not in a pleasant way at all.
“How many times has a cool environment caused warning signs that were unfounded because that is all I had known?” I wondered.
It seems to me I can think of quite a few and that disheartens me a bit. However, I think this hot tub, cold feet experience was exactly as it was supposed to be. It was not meant to dishearten me. Rather it was meant to open my eyes and become aware to a deeper understanding of myself and my patterns of being.
Now I am a thinker, and, in the bathtub, you have lots of time to contemplate. So, I continued.
“How often has the company I keep effected my response to opportunities as well? If I am surrounded by others who often have negative thinking patterns, who offer unsupportive comments or those who are guided by their fears rather than their dreams…. How often does that affect me and the decisions I make?” I wondered to myself.
If I am used to aloof surroundings; warm welcomes, and kindnesses may feel uncomfortable right?! I think you know the answer to that.
The company you keep has a giant affect on your life even if we do not realize it at the time. For me this did not mean I had to run away and move to the forest to live alone and in recluse. It was a gentle reminder from the Universe to SEE patterns I was unconsciously allowing so I could change them.
It was an opportunity to see into the subconscious desire to stay the same temperature. I was allowing lower vibe to run the show. It may feel uncomfortable, scary, or even seem painful at first. But once you tune in to the reality of our experience, a warm change can be quite delightful.
It was an intuitive opportunity to see what I had been missing all along. It is up to me to say.
“Nope. This this is not true cold feet. This is not lava. It is not a true story you are telling me. This is how I see it.” I get to change the skewed narrative that is currently floating around me.
Just because voices of my past are bringing doubts and discouragements or those in my support system are sounding their alarms. It does not mean that it is the correct guidance. They may also be offering and projecting their experiences to you as a warning because they care. Or maybe not… anyway, take that into consideration as well.
Like the sensation of my cold feet submerging into a warm bath felt uncomfortable. So, does going against the ‘norm’ in decision making! It was a nice reminder to take my time, to move at my own pace and allow my cold feet to warm up to the idea of a nice hot bath. Often you must go through a painful or uncomfortable period to get to a beautiful experience.
Next time I find myself with ‘cold feet’ I will ask myself.
“What can I do to transform this experience if I really want it? Is my trepidation, fear or pain a true story or is it perceived because of the situation I was just in? Would moving forward and continuing actually help me to reduce the uncomfortable sensations in the long run???”
In the end, yes. Proceeding towards my desires was exactly what I needed to do. My bath did feel fabulous, and it offered more than relaxation. It cleared the cobwebs of unconscious stagnation by offering insights downloaded by some magical force.
It is a nice reminder of the things that can happen when we give ourselves time to be quite and allow ourselves an opportunity to listen for higher guidance. We do not have to be sitting cross legged in meditation when it happens. We only have to allow quiet time for ourselves and be open to receiving.
Blessings,
Emy Minzel
EmyMinzel.com
Emy Minzel 