No Power In Texas: Surrendering When You Are Powerless (Literally)

What are some of the situations in which you feel like you would be forced to release? To surrender? 

Well, probably being stuck in a rolling blackout during a cold snap in Texas for 3 days and counting… but the act of surrendering is not actually all that natural. For the purpose of this blog, surrendering will be defined as ‘ceasing resistance’ — to life just simply unfolding in the way that it does. 

The Situation: 

I moved to Texas a few months ago and it’s been an overall positive experience. It has been a huge downshift from living in Atlanta, and Hawai’i before that, but it’s been a place I’ve been able to stop and rest. I’ve found my routine and have continued the process of healing. So what happened to prompt this blog? Well, there has been a winter storm, the coldest in decades according to the news, and we’ve lost power. For three days now we have had 'rolling blackouts’, which means that the power goes off for a few hours, comes on for 30 minutes or so, and then goes back off. No power means no heat. No heat means a cold-ass house and taking precautions that pipes don’t freeze. There has also been no internet and cell service has been spotty. 

How does that feel? It feels overly isolating amid a year (plus) long pandemic that has already left millions of people around the world completely isolated. 

The Natural (old Sharon) Response: 

If this had happened a year ago, or maybe even weeks ago, this would have triggered an avalanche of emotions and caused anxiety to kick into a higher gear. 

• What are people going to think when I have to cancel calls?

• Will I lose clients?

• I was such a good roll with content, the algorithm is going to hate that I just stop.

• What if the power doesn't come back on?

• What if it gets worse?

• What if… what if… what if…

Just typing that out stressed me out! Not surrendering to something we cannot control only leads to stress and attempted forcing... which we know, does not work. Even if you could force a result, what the result be of high quality or alignment? But what does this look like through the eye of surrendering? 

The Learned Response: Surrender. 

It is absolutely no coincidence that my friend, Stefanie Diaz, recommended the book “The Surrender Experiment” only a couple of days before we lost power. Loaded into audible, I was ready to go. In the first few chapters, the author recounts his experience is releasing his preferences and emotions (resistance) towards life happening and instead chose to see things as neutral. This is neither good nor bad, it just is. Next, is to ask, what is this situation asking of me? What I am being called to learn, to do, not do, or experience?

Surrender In Action: 

This morning when I woke up to "day 3 of no power", I had quite the attitude problem. I was just irritated. I wanted my morning coffee. I wanted to shower. I wanted to stop shivering. I wanted to go to the store and get food I was craving. Best believe I started listing off all the things I was mad about… then my friend (business partner/roommate) asked… “Ok then, but what are thankful for?” Well shit.. that list is infinitely longer. I’m thankful it’s rolling power and not zero power. Thankful we have food. Thankful we have some cell service. Thankful we have water. Thankful we are healthy… 

You can feel the vibration shift right? 

There are so many things that feel like that they happen ‘to us’ but in reality, they are just happening. The world is a complicated place with lots of people who all possess free will and the ability to do good or bad. — Sharon Gutierrez

In order to sustain peace, we have to train our minds to assess life experiences in a neutral way, neither good or bad, and ask what we are called to do. 

My thoughts are with those who are facing the same storm, but a drastically different experience. 

Besos,

Sharon