Starting the day with a great breakfast, means sometimes toasting my usual ancient grains bread to have with a lovely dollop of peach jam.  I put the bread into the toaster, excited for my tasty breakfast and pushed the button down, as I had thousands of times before.  After about 45 seconds the toast pops up not entirely as ‘toasty’ as I’d like.  So I turn the dial to make the bread a little more my temperature for today.  I wait another 45 seconds and the bread pops up burnt.  I sighed heavily.  Again, I had to turn the dial to try to adjust the bread exactly to what I want my bread to be so I am satisfied.

It is interesting as I use this analogy and apply it to my life.  Not that I am a piece of bread looking to be pop up nice and toasty with a dollop of jam.  But oddly enough, when I need a little adjustment, am I turning my dial?  Do I when I don’t feel the right temperature (I might use this to reference my state of being) turn the dial too far and can I adjust it back?  Or do I just become complacent and become someone who blames everything externally?

I found this to be quite the analogy.  It is interesting, when we want change, how we expect the outer world to rotate and turn to what we need it to be.  Then, we complain and pout and hold resentment when the outer world and all those people and situations in it, doesn’t change at all.  Where does our mind land when this change doesn’t occur?  And how often, does this happen?

For me, this analogy hit me when I was making decisions and goals to be healthier.  Eat healthier, move my body more and to really give myself grace when I had a cookie or didn’t get out for my hike.  Those are days I need to turn the dial to help me with motivation, to help me change the narrative of why I do or don’t.  For this reason, I turned the dial to the words, don’t quit.  I don’t want to quit and I want to feel better.  I am not perfect, and as much as I want to cross the bridge to health or any other goal I choose, I understand there is no magic wand or switch that will get me there faster.  I deserve to keep moving the dial to my desired temperature.  And I have support to help with that dial, and even moving one step further, I have access to professional support should I need that.  Isn’t that, afterall, what we would do with our beloved toaster?