I spent most of yesterday cleaning the kitchen. We had purchased a new over-the-stove microwave and the big old microwave was removed and given away. That left a pile of clutter and old dust that just had to go. While I was at it, I tackled another clutter spot filled with notes and pens and coupons. That just had to go, too!

Then there was that other corner that had, well, what was back there anyway?

Clutter removed, dirt cleaned, counters polished (they are old, but when polished they look ok), even the walls got a good scrubbing.

Usually, I stress and anguish about a big job like that for at least a day or two. Grumble, moan about it and generally resist taking action. This time, I felt the resistance and released it. (Thank you Sedona Method!! If you haven’t checked that out, you really might want to give it some attention!) I was going to sit and glance at the paper for a minute and found myself just getting to it! I was as surprised as you!

I gave myself several opportunities to quit. “I’ll do this much today and do the rest another day,” sort of thing. No need. I just kept going. For someone who experiences low energy issues, this was such a blessing!

It surprises me how much energy is spent on resisting, dreading, stressing, or dragging my feet on something. What a huge blessing it is to just get to it! It’s hard for me to equate stress and resistance as usable energy – life force energy. They seem so different, yet are they really?

It’s my energy taking form as tension or as action. My choice how to use that energy. On a low energy day, I can take a bit more time and awareness to release resistance/dread so that I have more energy to do the things I prefer to do.

Some things are still not fun, yet they take half the time and not nearly as much energy. What a deal!

My next task is the pantry. God only knows what’s in there. Usable stuff is up front, certainly, but who knows what’s been shoved in those dark corners. I have a couple of things still on my counters that really belong in the pantry – but there is no room. So, on my next day-off, the

pantry will get my attention. I am already feeling dread and releasing it. I’m already feeling tired and releasing it. I’m already feeling the exhaustion of choosing what stays and what goes and I’m releasing it.

How to release? Notice what you’re feeling. Feeling dread is a pretty normal and appropriate action for a task like cleaning the pantry. I don’t have to pretend I don’t feel the dread. I don’t have to push the dread away in the back of my mind (not really releasing). I don’t have to shame/blame myself because it’s there. I just let it be there. (What a concept!) Then I allow it to dissipate or fall away as best I can for now. If the dread reappears, I welcome it and let it go again. And again. The process takes very little energy, yet releases a ton of energy for me to use elsewhere.

I have a couple of tasks to do on the computer this morning. These are things I don’t yet know how to do and I’m feeling resistance coming up for those tasks as well. I think I’ll take a few minutes to notice and release that resistance as well.

Releasing resistance could be called surrender. Surrender isn’t about giving up, it’s about giving up the struggle. Once the struggle is released, we slip into the flow. In the flow, energy becomes usable, decisions become easier, actions seem effortless, time shifts (things take less time than we thought they would), our minds open, and our spirit soars!