new-be

I've been focused on learning about being as a way of life for a long time and I always write from that perspective, but it occurred to me that not everyone is coming from the same place, so I thought I'd share my story of the first time I was conscious of being conscious.

I was in my 20's and at a grocery store when it happened. I was reaching for a bottle of Dawn dish soap on the shelf when some part of me asked "why Dawn when there are so many other choices?" I had been buying the same blue, medium sized bottles of Dawn for at least 8 years, ever since I had started doing my own shopping. It was a reflexive choice and I never even noticed all of the other brands, colors, scents, sizes and price points that were available to me. It was not hard for me to figure out the reason for this - my mother always used Dawn - blue, in the medium size.

As far as I know, my mother did not have any special attachment to Dawn. Maybe one day it was on sale so she bought it and liked it just fine. Then I chose it because it was what I was used to seeing. Who really cares? But I remember wondering what else I'd been reflexively grabbing off the shelf of life, oblivious to all of the other choices available.

Living unconsciously means we make choices from our comfort zone of assumptions and beliefs without taking an active role in the choosing. Every choice about what we wear to who we marry to how we speak to our children is an opportunity to be uniquely, authentically ourselves. This does not mean reinventing the wheel with every little decision, just making sure that it's really you who is making it.

Once I took the time to consider the alternatives, I decided that having dish soap called JOY was the way for me. Now they make "Ultra Concentrated Joy." How could I resist that?