Out of Rigidity and into the Flow

As your faith is strengthened, you will find that there is no longer the need to have a sense of control, that things will flow as they will and that you will flow with them to your great delight and benefit. Emmanuel Teney

Yesterday, I was reading about rigidity.  I am aware there are situations where I become rigid and I use it as a coping skill.  I apparently feel the need to keep tight control when certain situations appear, based on fear from previous experiences. The article pointed out making choices with rigidity can become a slow growing habit.   Perhaps, we begin with food.  We become selective about what we eat, which is a good thing, but then we carry it to an extreme where we can only eat very few selected items.  When eating at a restaurant or in some one's home, our food rigidity can become an obsession driving us to no longer even eat with others.  Meals are a part of socialization and relaxation, but not if we isolate ourselves. The information also mentioned being rigid with friendships.  We can become so selective about terms of relationship we begin to eliminate good people from our lives, ending up living in isolation as no one lives up to our extreme expectations. This resource on rigidity also mentioned how it can spread into all areas of our lives such as clothing.  We can start out being selective, and graduate to rigidity by only wearing a certain brand or color to the point of obsession which can drive friends away or at the very least annoy them. So in these three areas, rigidity can isolate us in very subtle ways.  In order to stretch and grow creatively and in a healthy manner, we must stay in the flow and not isolate.  We need people as much as we need privacy.  We are entitled to choose our food, friends, and clothing, but anything to an extreme can be bad for us.  Rigidity can lead to narrow mindedness, excluding us from many wonderful thoughts, objects, and experiences.   We still have choice when we are in the flow, but we are also open to diversity and change.