Walking through Central Park one morning after a snowstorm, the some melting and refreezing, the surface underfoot was often like an immense sheet of ice.  It took a great deal of concentration to stay upright, and I didn’t have a lot of extra attention left over to look around the park.  One thing I did notice, though, was the way the dogs dealt with the ice.  It looked decidedly better to have four legs than two!  What wasn’t at all relaxing for me opened up new possibilities of modes of play for the four-footed critters that were all around.

At one point, I watched a large dog run and put his front paws out in front of him and slide until he stopped.  Then, he hunched down, rested a moment, got up and did it again.  He was definitely having a good time.  Other dogs, if they started to slip, simply shifted their weight to another of their four legs and continued to run and plan on the slick surface.  All the way across the park, the dogs didn’t miss a beat in their usual routine of chasing balls, chasing each other, and just generally having fun playing.

As I walked along, concentrating on each and every step, I got to thinking about how what was fun for the dogs was a challenge for me.  While I focused on getting across the park without falling down, the dogs didn’t have to concern themselves with that at all.  We engaged the experience from completely different points of view.  What I enjoyed was watching the dogs have so much fun, as it lightened my own somewhat stressful experience of doing my best to stay upright.

What I discovered was that the stress of the walk across the park was greatly eased by seeing the ways in which the dogs were having fun with the slippery situation.  It made what could have been an arduous journey into one that had me smiling instead of frowning in concentration.

And so, for this week’s experiment, I invite you to notice how you engage challenging situations and how you can use what emerges in your immediate experience to lighten the load.  For example, if you have a task to do that isn’t your favorite thing, does it help to have music on in the background, or to listen to an inspirational CD or podcast?  Does it help to remind yourself of the benefit you’ll get from doing whatever it is that’s in front of you?  I’ve mentioned this before, but whenever I have to go to a doctor’s appointment that might be stressful, I remind myself of how grateful I am that someone went to the trouble to have the training that allows him or her to help me in ways I can’t help myself.  This thought allows me to soften into the experience instead of fighting it.

This may sound like making lemonade out of lemons and, actually, it is just that.  It takes us back to the subject we’ve explored many times – engaging experience with the glass half full versus the glass half empty.  Given the stresses many are feeling about the economy and world situation, it’s a good time to practice experiencing a given moment from the “glass-half-full” side of things and then noticing how that affects the quality of our experience.

As you explore your experience with this experiment, remember to bring along curiosity as your companion and a willingness to notice what you might usually take for granted or not notice at all.  In most situations, there are elements that can lighten the load, or a thought that can bring in some humor.  This doesn’t mean to overlook or deny what’s actually uncomfortable or downright terrible.  It does mean to notice what might help you get through it with less distress.