Are you there?

Yes, we are here.

Not too long ago, we had our second conversation on the topic of frustration. A popular subject with our readers, by the way.

We can understand this interest in the issue of frustration as it is an almost constant presence in the lives of most human persons.

Case in point, the experiences I had recently after being away from home for a week. The day I got back, I decided to run a few errands, and while walking to the grocery store, I began to encounter some of the same obstacles that we spoke about in our last discussion on frustration: people in front of me on the sidewalk moving very slowly; dogs allowed to stretch their leashes across my path; cyclists riding on the sidewalk or racing through red traffic lights. Once I got to the grocery store, my frustrations continued: customers blocking the aisles with their carts, no more of the special yogurt I like, finding that the line I was did not accept cash. Once I left the store and headed home, it was more of the same. One thing after another blocking my way or otherwise disrupting my progress, leaving me feeling very frustrated.

There are a number of issues at play here. For example, even though you have lived in large cities for most of your life, when you are away for an extended period of time, you may still require time to re-adjust your energy and vibration relative to your surroundings. Through our work together, you are also more sensitive to and aware of the vibrational contrast between one location and another.

That is true. In fact, because of our work together, I sometimes assume that I will no longer have these kinds of experiences, that I have somehow evolved beyond them, but that is not the case.

The energy and vibration of a large city with millions of inhabitants is a powerful force and it takes sustained practice and skill to modulate your own vibration in relation to it. Then again, this is why you have come, not just to the physical plane, but specifically to this city where you currently reside. Your higher self knew all about the obstacles that you would face living in this place and yet it was chosen anyway, to a large degree BECAUSE of the challenges it presented, in particular those challenges around energy and vibration. To seek the highest vibration possible and then to hold that vibration within your physical, emotional and mental fields while being surrounded by the vast vibrational diversity that a large metropolis can provide, that is why you are where you are.

I have felt that many times since moving to New York City, but I often forget it when I come face to face with the complexities of city life. And I think that is what happened to me the other day. I was a little out of practice, going with the flow of the city, and I immediately became frustrated.

That is why we suggested as you were walking home that you treat these obstacles like a game, because at its core, that is what it is, a game.

That’s when you brought up “Chip’s Challenge,” a video game I used to play at work. That suggestion really took me by surprise since I have not thought about or played “Chip’s Challenge” in a very, very long time. My former co-workers and I were obsessed by it, playing it during our lunch hours or whenever we got bored with our work.

We thought it would bring back memories of the fun you used to have maneuvering little Chip around the sometimes frustrating obstacles that he faced, obstacles that you needed to work around before you could move on to the next level of play.

It all came back to me the moment you suggested it. Should I slow down to accommodate the pokey group of tourists in front of me or if I should move off the sidewalk onto the street in order to get around them? This situation was just like one of Chip’s challenges, like trying to get him to build a little bridge over some water so he could cross, or getting him to move some blocks to free up his path to the exit, or helping him negotiate a slippery path to avoid falling down a hole. I could see the possibility of viewing everyday obstacles as a game, and I immediately felt a sense of relief and began to relax. I realized it wasn’t so important whether someone or something was impeding my progress. I had choices. I could slow down, I could move around and change my path completely. I could even stop and sit down on a bench for a moment before I continued. The important idea was that it could actually be fun, dealing with everyday obstacles, if I could just remember that here was yet another opportunity to look past what my mind was telling me – “These people are really annoying!!!” – and look at the situation from a higher vibrational place and allow myself to try something new, something that felt better.

And that, right there, though these situations might seem ordinary or even mundane, is why you are here and why you have come. To live within an environment which offers you a wide range of experiences, from those that feel very bad to those that feel very good, and allow yourself to make a conscious, elevated choice about what you want to experience and how you want to experience it. Do you want to experience the fearful, anxiety-producing projections that your ego conjures up to frustrate you, or do you want to finally let go of all of that and allow your own energy, your own beautiful, magnificent and loving energy to stream forth into the physical world and create for yourself a life of fun and excitement and joy? As we have said many times before, the choice is yours. So why not begin by treating the smaller, everyday obstacles in your life like a game? Before long, with a little practice and some firm intention, the larger, more impactful obstacles in your life will not seem so daunting.

This has been a very enlightening and uplifting conversation. I think we will stop there for today.

It has been a joyful experience for us as well. Until next time.

Thank you all.

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