The Joy Diet: Truth

I loved this chapter.  I hated this chapter.  Telling the truth is easy for me.  Saying it out loud can get you in trouble.

Let me back up.  In the winter of 2007 I read Byron Katie's  Loving What Is: Four Questions That Can Change Your Life and I can honestly say it changed my life.  It had a powerful effect on my "stories".  In fact, I've found I no longer want to be in denial or lie to myself  since stuffing, twisting, contorting, painting and otherwise covering the truth is like throwing flowers on shit.  It may look good but it still stinks and can give you and awful headache.

So as I was reading our menu item #2 on Truth I thought, "Wow, this reminds me of Katie's stuff." Then lo and behold Martha Beck begins to bring Katie into the picture.  I was thrilled!.  Now I know that Martha Beck and I are on the same page and that I'm in the right place.

And because I'm so damn evolved in my truth-telling I decided that this week I would start to say my truths outloud.  To my husband.  Whenever he did something that annoyed me or said something that I didn't agree with I would clearly state "I feel angry when you channel surf during the commercial" or "I notice I'm feeling impatient when you don't answer me right away."  What did I learn?  First of all sharing what I feel can be a mask for control and that there really is such as thing as too much sharing.  More importantly, I learned that telling people what I feel about them is not nearly as valuable as sitting quietly in nothingness and noticing the truth about my feelings when emotions are triggered.

Instead of sharing every negative feeling and declaring it as "The Truth" I journaled about what was really going on with me.  

And magically my husband returned to his wonderful, adorable self.  

Huh.