Under The Influence

This morning I am thinking about the coffee that smells so good brewing in the kitchen.  I actually bought that brand on purpose.  While I was strolling down a particular aisle at the grocery store, I heard the song in my head: “The best part of waking up is Folgers in your cup.”  And into my cart the large, red container went.  Sitting here now, I’m being a bit more realistic.  Sitting here now, I would say that the best part of waking up is…well, not being dead.  I’m pretty certain I could list a number of other things about waking up that are better than Folgers in my cup, too.  Nevertheless, I bought the coffee because I bought into the message.  Well, that was not the first time I’ve ever made a decision that was influenced by a familiar refrain that was playing in my head.  Regrettably, not every message I’ve ever bought into was as charming or harmless as a jingle for a coffee commercial.  In fact, some of them were downright destructive.  Consequently, I would pile up my emotional grocery cart (so to speak) with things I didn’t really want or need because I was under the influence of “commercials” in my head about Rejection, Shame, Condemnation, and Loss.  Just like my large, red container of Folgers coffee, I have had to pay a price for those things.  Unlike my Folgers, however, I have received absolutely no return on investment for products such as fear, unforgiveness, and confusion.  They are of no value to me at all.  They simply have to be thrown out.  So, daily, I open my heart and mind, and I continue to let them go.  And daily, I renew my mind with messages about Forgiveness, Hope, Peace, and Restoration.  I have to smile, as I realize I’m growing to become a much more discerning emotional shopper.  I’m learning to reject things that have no business in my cart.  Instead, I’m piling it up with the good things that do belong there.  I realize that the products of love, kindness, truth, and wisdom are not only of value to me, but also to those precious ones in my life whom I value.  So, I’ll go forth today ready and eager to share.  But, first, a cup of coffee.