September 2023 Newsletter

Hello, and a spectacular September to you!
Welcome, or welcome back, to my newsletter. Today's issue is about relaxed eyes while driving. Enjoy!

Since I started vision improvement years ago, driving my little car in a relaxed calm manner has been a major goal. My personality tends toward anxiety and worry. It seems like the other cars are getting bigger every year, and the other drivers all want to go faster than I do. And those huge trucks! I can feel like the smallest kid in a new school, my mere presence an invitation to be bullied. This does not lead to me feeling calm and in control.

Vision happens mostly in the brain, not in the eyeballs. If our thoughts and emotions aren't peaceful, our vision won't be either. Since I live in a river valley where a sunny dry day is the exception, and it is often raining or foggy or misty, I have plenty of chances to practice driving in poor weather with sub-optimal visibility, then having a good attitude about it. One of my goals is to see driving, in any weather, as an adventure rather than a big problem.

Last week I had a dental checkup early in the morning, not something I was looking forward to. I had to drive in rush-hour traffic, with sleepy annoyed people heading to work, while negotiating construction and lane closures. We were surrounded by misty fog, with no one going that fast due to the volume of traffic. However I still had difficulty relaxing. Maybe part of the stress was all those memories of taking this route to my corporate job for so many years. It was only after I got back home and was able to palm for close to an hour that I was able to reset my vision and my positive outlook.

So what did I learn, and what can I do better next time? My attitude was not good before I left the house, as I was doing the dental checkup as a "should" rather than a "want to". Fortunately I have good teeth, but all those fingers and sharp instruments in my mouth is not fun for me. So I was ripe for more frustration, with every traffic slowdown adding to the grumpiness I already had. This made me try too hard to see, giving me eyestrain. I didn't feel calm again until I was back home, out of the car, and could be alone.

Once again, I (re-)learned that my attitude is key. The traffic or weather or dental checkup was not the cause of my eyestrain, my resistant mindset was. A few days later I drove to the grocery store in early glaring sun. Somehow I knew this was my next visual test -- be careful what you wish for! There was no traffic problem or visibility issue, but for a few months this time of year the sun is directly behind me as I back into my garage. I have to inch the car along in reverse while twisting to look over my shoulder right into the bright sun, gun the car to get over the lip at the edge of the garage, then brake sharply. It's a victory every time I do this, even if it takes me several passes to get the car aligned properly. It was better than the dental visit, though not perfect yet.

Yes, make sure your windshield and mirrors are clean and tires inflated for a safe drive, and don't forget to check your attitude. Are you setting out for that errand distracted, or peaceful and present? Be grateful you can drive and have a reliable vehicle. If you improved your vision, appreciate how well you can see now, with more improvement likely to come. I will never take for granted that I can drive without that eyeglasses cage around my face, even when the conditions are not ideal. Dr. Bates said challenging visual conditions are great practice, since you need to relax even more to see well. In that light, I suppose I'm grateful for the driving challenges too.

To read an old post about driving in rain and fog, click here.

New book by a master EFT teacher
My skilled insightful EFT teacher Dr. Carol Look has written a new ebook, Overcoming Overwhelm. I can't recommend Carol's work highly enough. Nearly everyone I know, myself included, is dealing with feelings of overwhelm, and Carol's book will give you some guidance and support for dealing with it. You can check out the details here.

Have you wondered if my work could help you?
I'm now offering complimentary Discovery Session consultations of 20 minutes or so, for us to discuss what you're looking for in a coach, and to see whether you and I feel like a fit to work together formally. To schedule your Discovery Session, click here.

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Please send me your questions and comments
Let me know what you've wondered about concerning energy medicine or vision or dreams. I'll be glad to write a short article addressing that topic. Thank you to those who have sent me questions, or see a question you asked me in a private session written about here. You're helping many other people! Enjoy the start of this super-duper month of September. I'll write again in a few weeks. Take care!