Gregg Sanderson

I act freely when I am tuned in, centered, and loving, but if possible I avoid acting when I am emotionally upset and depriving myself of the wisdom that flows from love and expanded consciousness. ~ Ken Keyes, Jr.

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This is the “You can’t fire me, I quit” pathway.  It’s the easiest to understand, and for me, the most difficult to follow.

The message is simple, “Chill.

The problem is, when I’m caught up in my “stuff”—my unsatisfied needs—chilling is the last thing I want to do.  I want to throw something.

I guess that’s why Ken included this pathway.  Just to let me know I haven’t arrived yet.

I act freely… I trust my choices.

…When I am tuned in… I trust my judgment.

…Centered… I am in balance, neither passive nor aggressive.

…and loving… I accept the people and situations around me.

…if possible… Yay! My escape clause.  I’m OK even if I get caught up

…I avoid acting… If I can get this far in the pathway, I’m home free.  I can wait until the “tuned in, centered, and loving” takes over.

…all the rest… This is how I make a mess of things if I don’t get this far, and that is the case all too often.  Here I am, teaching this stuff, and I still make a fool of myself with disturbing frequency.  As I said before, this is the most difficult to follow.

I know I’m OK even if I stray, but I may not have as much fun.  The Ninth Pathway is still a worthy goal, and it’s OK to miss the mark—and take the consequences.

Rarely is that so apparent as within a close relationship.  Should you dare to act freely when you’re not tuned in, centered, and loving, that person who “never listens to you” will hang on every word—and never forget.

It doesn’t have to be a situation of emotional upset, either.  Way back in the days when I was young and foolish (Now I’m no longer young), I was at a luncheon with the company’s new Marketing Manager. The conversation turned to the military.

Freshly discharged from the service and never having heard of the Ninth Pathway, I expressed my snobbish opinions of the regimented life.

I later found out the Marketing Manager was a Major in the Army Reserves.  He told me so himself when he provided me another experience of “freshly discharged.”

When I fall off the consciousness wagon, there’s always one undeniable guide to set me back on the path.

Consequences—the perfect incentive to pay attention next time.

And there’s ALWAYS a next time.