Mistaken Beliefs

I use a "moisture-measuring" stick to tell if my plants need watering. I've used this measure for many years and, although it's not foolproof, it seems to work better than the finger-in-the-soil test. I've continued to use the same stick even though it fell down once and the top opened up. I simply taped it closed and continued to use the same stick. Indeed, whenever I use it, it lets me know that the plant is dry and needs watering.

But something is very wrong. The leaves of several plants are turning yellow and a few plants have died completely.

After throwing away some plants I became curious. I put the moisture-measuring stick in a cup of water to see what it registers. Lo and behold, it registered "dry!"

I have been over-watering my plants these past few years without knowing it. I did not think to question what the measuring stick was telling me.

I wonder if a similar process occurs in our minds. Most of us rely on certain belief systems which we've had since childhood; e.g., "children should listen to whatever we tell them," "my husband should do what I ask him to do," or "I should be able to complete everything on my list before I go to bed." We rely on these "shoulds" and measure other people's behaviors by them.

Then we get frustrated when our actions don't yield the anticipated results.

Maybe it's time to get curious, to examine our thoughts and beliefs.

Maybe our internal standards are inaccurate or totally false.

Now is the time to test them out before we lose something or someone important.