By admin 
There is a profound difference between saying “I am irritated” and “There is irritation in me.” Perhaps a much greater difference than we realize at first.
When you say, “I am irritated,” you turn irritation into an identity. You are essentially saying that, in that moment, you are the irritation.
But when you say, “There is irritation in me,” something subtle changes. The irritation is still there. You are not denying it, suppressing it, or trying to get rid of it. You simply stop identifying yourself with it.
And then an interesting question arises: Who or what is actually aware of this irritation?
Because if you can observe irritation, then surely you cannot be only that irritation.
You are not merely your sadness, your fear, your anger, or even your happiness. These are all experiences that appear and disappear. But that which is aware of them does not have to change with every passing experience.
In the light of A Course in Miracles, this touches upon the difference between our true Self and the image we have made of ourselves.
The ego says, “I am angry, I am hurt, I am afraid.” And without noticing it, we begin building a story around that little word I. Eventually, the story becomes more important than the original experience.
But there is another beautiful subtlety here. Even saying “There is irritation in me” still suggests that there is a separate “me” in which something is happening. Perhaps we can make it even simpler:
“There is irritation.”
Nothing more.
No owner, no one to blame, no need to immediately change anything. Just the recognition of what is appearing in this moment.
And isn’t that rather wonderful? You do not have to be free of irritation to be free of identifying with it.
You can experience irritation without becoming an irritated person.
This is not merely a clever play on words. It is an entirely different way of looking at who you believe yourself to be.
With love and light,
Gonny