Imagine you're at a movie theater, watching a fine film you've been looking forward to seeing, with a great script and several of your favorite actors.  You're having big fun when suddenly you feel a piece of popcorn wedged between your teeth, way in the back of your mouth.  You poke at it with your tongue again and again, but it doesn't budge.  Looking around to make sure no one's watching, you discretely attempt dislodging it with your fingers, but it stays stuck.  You do your best to ignore it and focus on the film.  No luck.  You just can't seem to quit poking at it intermittently.  So there you sit:  having paid good money to see a spell-binding, big-budget, action-packed film which you can't even enjoy it because all you can think about is this irritating little thing stuck in your teeth.
 
It's no big deal.  You could easily fix the situation with a toothpick or some dental floss -- but you don't have any, nor are you willing to miss any of the movie by going out to the lobby to do something about it.  You, my friend, are officially stuck in the dreaded Popcorn Conundrum Zone!
 
Unfortunately, the PCZ is not limited to movie theaters.  It can appear without warning in the midst of almost anyone's otherwise pleasant life - perhaps even yours.  There you are, with more than enough to eat, a reasonably comfortable place to live, a decent job, relatively good health, and yet there's that one thought about one particular person and/or situation that somehow "gets stuck" between those dull teeth grinding away in the back of your brain - and no amount of mental floss can keep it from bugging you, over and over again.  Much like the popcorn hull, each time it tugs at your attention, you probe the possibilities of doing something about it, look at it from different angles, and then promptly forget about it till the next time it pops up.  
 
So what can you do about that yucky feeling of being stuck in the PCZ?  Well, there are any number of alternatives, and I don't pretend to have a complete listing of options, much less be able to present you with the one Right Answer.  But I do have a couple of clues to share.  The first is to become aware of your breath, which can enable you to connect with the sensations and feelings present in your body.  These can be powerful cues to guide you in the direction(s) Spirit would have you take.
 
A similar suggestion is to begin (or deepen) a meditation practice.  Granted, it's not a quick fix, and will require a significant amount of energy over an extended period of time.  But it will definitely help you become more aware of your mind's tendency to spin a web of conflicting thoughts and feelings - and help you see them with some degree of perspective.  These days there's a wide range of meditation practices available - and many different places to learn them - including the ongoing Meditation Circle which I facilitate every Wednesday night at the San Antonio Quaker Meeting House (check elsewhere in this e-newsletter for directions and further details).  Find one that feels right for you - and stay with it.
 
And don't overlook the power of adding your concerns to the Celebration Circle Prayer List which we compile weekly.  Feel free to unload the contents of your PCZ into the Circle Prayer Box any or every Sunday - or e-mail us (circle@celebrationcircle.org) with your concerns, and we'll add you to the list which is sent our to the Prayer Circle and prayed with throughout the week.
 
Like I said, there are any number of possibilities for getting unstuck - but the first step is to be gentle with yourself.  In any case, should you find yourself stuck in a PCZ sometime in the future, please remember that it, too, is a gift - something to be welcomed, embraced and learned from.  That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.
 
With blessings,